DDLC: The Netflix Series
by ATinyHorse
Summary: Imagine if DDLC was made into a 15 episode long Netflix season like all the other shows out there. Will it be pretentious? Yes. Will there be annoying high school girls? You bet your ass! Will that be heartbreak and romance? It's not a Netflix series if there isn't!
1. Chapter 1: Childhood

"Come on, Anon! We're going to be late!"

"Ok, OK! I'm coming, jeez..."

"But school's starting in 2 minutes! We can't be late on our first day!"

"Fine, fine, I'll speed up!"

"You say that but you're not even running!"

"Fine!" shouted Anon as he caught up with the annoying girl with the coral pink hair. "I think we can still make it!"That girl is his next door neighbour and best friend Sayori, although they were so close they were practically siblings. As Anon finally caught up with Sayori, the two hastily rushed down the dull asphalt.

"NOO the students are already in their classrooms! We're late!" whined Sayori.

"No we're not, they're just early, look: It's not even 9 yet!" replied Anon, struggling to catch his breath.

Sayori and Anon walked to the centre of a few chairs arranged to form a circle. Lifeless stuffed animals started back at them.

"Good morning class!" Sayori said, mimicking an adult; Anon tried his hardest to suppress his laugh.

"_Good morning Miss Asoka..." _said Sayori in a different tone, this time imitating a cartoon character.

"As you all know, today is the day you guys will receive your results," Sayori said, returning to her "mature" voice. "And I'm happy to say that all of you passed!" Sayori exclaimed with glee. "Mr Kazuma, would you like to give out the awards?"

"Alright... alright..." groaned Anon. He looked at his list unenthusiastically. "For best in maths... Mr Cow..."

"Come on... can't you be a bit more excited?" whined Sayori.

"FOR TOP IN MATHS, MR COW!" yelled Anon, startling the poor teacher. "There, you happy, Ms Asoka?"

"Ehehe... congrats Mr Cow!" said Sayori as she picked up her stuffed cow and gave her a medal that had the words "Thanks for participating!" on it. She then turned back to her teaching assistant. "Who else is next, Mr Kazuma?" Anon looked at the list, "For best in science... Mr C-Sayori why are all the recipients Mr Cow?" "Because I love Mr Cow!" shouted Sayori. "What about the other students? What about Mr Duck, or that bird?" "MR COW!" yelled Sayori even louder. Anon sighed and smiled. The enthusiasm Sayori had for being a teacher was honestly kind of admirable. Besides, other than the times Sayori came over, he did nothing all day besides watch cartoons, so who was he to judge. "Alright Sayori, best in science goes to Mr Cow." replied Anon. "YAY!" cheered Sayori. "Congratulations Mr Cow!"

"Hey! What's going on here, you two?" a sudden voice came out from behind the duo, startling them both.

Sayori and Anon spun around.

"O-oh! H-hi James..." Sayori muttered as her face turned red.

Anon's reaction was the complete opposite, as he stared at the ground, avoiding eye contact with the taller boy with blond hair. James was the older kid in their neighbourhood. Most girls around Sayori's age found him to be attractive; including Sayori, but Anon hated his guts since the day they've met. There were many reasons for his strong disliking of James including how James was superior to him in every way, but mostly it was because he would always get in the way between him and Sayori. Such is a case for today, where Sayori was already completely ignoring him and swooning over the blue-eyed boy.

"W-we were just playing teacher, would you like to join us?"

"Sure, Sayori" replied James with a wink, making Sayori melt on the inside. As soon as James joins the class, he quickly took over, making James feel more inferior than he already did. What's worse was that Sayori didn't seem to realise he was feeling this way. Eventually, Anon sat down and watched as Sayori and James continued handing out trophies to Mr. Cow.

Eventually, James had to leave, leaving Sayori and Anon with the stuffed animals.

"Come on Anon! It's recess time!" Sayori shouted, seemingly forgetting that she had just ignored him for two hours. Apparently Anon's disheartened face had no effect on the cheerful girl.

Anon sighed. "At least she's back..." he thought. "God, I hate him"

...

As afternoon turned to evening, Sayori and Anon continued playing in the park. Elementary School was starting for the both of them and they were trying to make the most out of their time left. "I can't wait to meet new friends and tell them all about our amazing adventures!" said Sayori to Anon. "Err..." started Anon, a bit embarrassed "...maybe leave out the parts where I had to-" "-Of course I'll leave those out, dummy! Only the fun stuff! And maybe the part where you helped me out of that pond, and the part where you helped me crawl out of that hole, or the part where-" "Alright, I get it Sayori." smiled Anon. Sayori returned the smile and ushered Anon to sit beside her on the park bench.

"You'll make friends too, right?" asked Sayori, quizzically looking at Anon. Hearing this question made Anon look down in embarrassment. Both their parents knew Sayori was Anon's only friend during pre-school all the way to kindergarten. Even when the neighbourhood kids came together to play, Anon only ever hung out with Sayori, only really speaking to the other children when he needed something or when he said "excuse me".

"I-I will. I'll make friends..." replied Anon half-heartedly.

"W-will I still be your best friend?" asked Sayori, her normally cheerful nature suddenly faltering.

"O-of course. I'd be crazy to let anyone else replace you as my best friend, no matter how nice or funny they are." Anon replied, giving Sayori a knowing smile.

"It sucks that we're going to different schools..." lamented Sayori, with a despondent look still plastered on her face.

"Hey, don't worry. After school, I'll come over and we'll play. Like today!" Anon suggested after sensing Sayori was feeling down. Sayori stares out into the sunset before finally asking "P-promise?" her voice starting to shake.

"I promise. You know what, after our first day of school let's go watch _Cars _again at my house."

"R-really? YAY I LOVE THAT MOVIE!" Sayori exclaimed, her downcast attitude replace immediately by a tidal wave of joy. Seeing Sayori so happy made Anon smile to himself. Sayori: His best friend in the whole world, nothing on this Earth would ever change that.

"We should get going. It's getting dark." noted Anon, looking up at the sky, the moon already starting to appear.

"Ok." said Sayori as she started putting all her stuffed toys into her basket. "Help me with the chairs." "Oh, right" replied Anon as he started stacking the plastic chairs. Sayori looked at him in awe. "Wow Anon, you're so strong! You're like that guy on TV who's also strong!" "Guy on TV? Sayori what are you talking about?" "You know; the one where everyone shouts his name whenever he comes." "John Cena?" "Yeah, him! John Cena!" Anon blushed at that comment. Even his own mother kept telling him to eat more and exercise. "Wow." He thought to himself. "How lucky am I to have a friend like Sayori."

...

As the two friends hauled the chairs back to Sayori's house, they saw Sayori's mother, Midori, waiting for them at the doorstep.

"How was school?" she asked jokingly. "Did Mr Cow give you two any trouble?"

"Nope!" replied Sayori. "He is the best in every subject too!"

"Really? That's wonderful!" said Midori as she took the stuffed cow out of the basket and hugged it. She held the door open for Sayori and Anon as they walked inside. "Mrs Asoka, may I use the bathroom?"

"Of course, Anon." Midori replied warmly. By now, Anon had been such a frequent visitor to Sayori's house that he knew every nook and cranny of it. As he walked towards the toilet, he noticed the fragrant smell coming from Sayori's kitchen. On the stoves there were the masterpieces that were Midori's cooking. Fried fish was simmering in oil in the pan, aromatic rice slowly cooking inside the rice cooker and the best miso soup that rivalled Aunty Aiko's, the town's roadside restaurant owner.

The smell is enough to make Anon forget about this trip to the toilet as he looked at all the delectable food, his mouth watering every second. All of a sudden, his trance is disrupted by a poke on the shoulder.

"GAH!" he jerks. He sees Sayori standing next to him with a puzzled look on her face, which quickly morphs into a mischievous smile.

"Weren't you going to the toilet?" asked Sayori, putting her hands on her hips.

"I-I am... I just... I was..." mouthed Anon, his face turning red. Sayori starts laughing. "H-Hey! I just... smelt your mom's good cooking, that's all! No need to act all rude about it..."

"Sayori..." said Midori in a stern voice as she walked over to see what the commotion was about. "...you aren't giving our guest a hard time are you?"

"Ehehe..." said Sayori, putting her index fingers together.

"Yeah, Sayori!" replied Anon, becoming smug as well, sensing he had Midori backing him up. "You shouldn't treat your guests this way."

"I was joking!" pouted Sayori, causing both Midori and Anon to start laughing. "Lighten up, Sayori, I'm not mad. And Anon, you can stay for dinner too, you know?" asked Midori. Anon's laughter stopped and is replaced by a crestfallen look. "Err... sorry Mrs Asoka, but my mom is cooking dinner today..."

"Aww really?" asked Sayori, getting disappointed as well. "Can't you just tell your mom to-" Sayori's interjection is interjected by a look from Midori. She looks down at her feet.

"It's alright, Anon. You go and enjoy Lisa's dinner. Maybe next time we'll all have dinner at your place too." Midori suggested, sensing Anon's discomfort. "Yeah. That'd be nice. Thank you, Mrs Asoka."

After a brief trip to the toilet, Anon prepared to make his leave before getting interrupted by a hug from Sayori. "Bye Anon." Sayori said sadly. Unbeknownst to him, tears started forming in her eyes. "It's ok Sayori; I told you we can still play after school. My house is near here." Anon reminded. "Oh yeah." replied Sayori, still a bit downcast. However, it seems that Anon had not picked up on that.

"I have to go home now. Bye Sayori!"

As Anon slowly walked out of her house, Sayori only got sadder. "Bye Anon..." she said softly to herself as she closed the front door.

...

"Mom, I'm home!" Anon slowly pushed the door to his house inwards, peering his head in. "Mom?"

"I'm in the kitchen Anon, close the door yourself please." Lisa replied from the kitchen. Anon immediately caught a whiff of his future dinner and was disappointed. "Fish and broccoli..." he muttered quietly to himself. Lisa's cooking wasn't exactly bad, but Anon was tired of the same food every day. He forced himself to smile and walked towards the kitchen, closing the front door behind him.

As he walked past a family photo, his heart sunk. The photo was taken a year ago, but only two thirds of the people in it still lived in the house. Shaking the thought from his head, he trudged on to the kitchen where he found his mother frantically speaking to someone on the phone, most likely her boss or a superior.

"Yes, I will get the reports by Monday and yes the Kota family will be sorted out" said Lisa, short of breath as she rushed around the kitchen, checking on the rice, checking on the fish and making sure the broccoli aren't burnt to ash. Anon knew better than to disturb his mother when she was busy and dragged himself upstairs to his room.

Opening his room door, Anon plopped himself onto his Lightning McQueen bed and closed his eyes. Downstairs, Lisa could still be heard talking to her superiors, the sound of pots and pans clashing accompanying her. It was going to be a while until dinner was ready. Anon's bored eyes panned over to his dresser: His clothes piled up; never to be sorted, his Lego toys; broken down with pieces never to be found, and the thing that caught his attention; a picture frame containing him and his best friend. The world around him stopped as he slowly got up and walked over to the dresser. Holding the picture frame in his hand, he suddenly remembered the conversation he had with Sayori a few minutes ago.

"What if she's right?" Anon said out loud to himself. "What if I don't make any friends...?" He looked down at the picture once more. Sayori had held her hands over Anon's head making a peace sign. Behind them, two elephants were minding their own business. The huge smile on Sayori's face was enough to create a smile on Anon's face as well. "Even if I don't make friends... I'll still have you." He said to the Sayori in the photo. "We'll be best friends forever."

"Anon! Dinner's ready!" Lisa yelled from the kitchen, ejecting Anon out of his trance. "Err...Ok Mom, I'll be down in a while..." blurted out Anon as he scrambled to find a decent response.

"Ok, but don't take too long: you dinner's going to be cold." It seemed to work.

Anon placed the frame back onto his drawer gingerly, taking one last look at his best friend.

"Forever."

**10 Years Later**

"Ok, OK I'M UP I'M UP, SEE?"

"You better be up, or else you're going to be late! Again! I'm not driving your lazy ass this time!"

Anon opened his eyes slowly, the glaring light of his lamp burning his irises. As he slothfully sat up on his bed, his eyes made their way to his digital alarm clock. His eyes then rolled.

"Goddamnit... MOM! IT'S NOT EVEN AN HOUR TO SCHOOL YET!"

"NO, NO, NO, YOU TAKE FOREVER TO GET UP! BREAKFAST IS READY, EAT UP!" Lisa shouted from the kitchen.

With a frustrated sigh, Anon lifted himself to his feet with all of his strength. Scanning for his high school uniform, he spotted a pair lying on his dresser. As he grabbed his blazer and his tie, he revealed an old picture frame of him and his childhood friend underneath it, collecting dust, never to be cleaned.

"Man, I miss my childhood" said Anon as he buttoned his uniform up, tossing his old clothes onto the dust frame. "Ok, Mom, I'm coming." He said, leaving the picture frame under his clothes, not giving it a second thought.

Butter bread and a glass of milk stared back at him. "What a surprise..." he muttered to himself.

"Yes, OK? We're out of eggs and I didn't have time to buy them." Lisa answered with a hint of annoyance, apparently hearing Anon.

"How is it every time I say something you're not supposed to hear, YOU HEAR IT?" Anon jokingly asked.

"I'm your mother. Now eat up, tomorrow will be eggs and toast, ok?"

"Ok, thanks Mom." replied Anon as he dug in. Anon wasn't many things, but the one thing he at least could do was eat fast so his mother wouldn't complain; within minutes he had finished his meal. Anon grabbed his bag and slung it around his shoulder. "Bye Mom."

"Have fun at school!" Lisa called out from the kitchen.

"Oh I bet..." Anon replied softly, rolling his eyes as he prepared himself for another worthless six and a half hours.

...

"Oh crap."

Sayori slowly got up from her bed. As she turned back to her alarm clock, she scoffed. "8:30", it read. As Sayori made her way downstairs, she saw a note left on the table. She picked it up and read it in a monotonous voice "Yesterday's leftovers are in the fridge, here's your allowance for today. – Midori" Sayori looked back at the table. A thousand yen note sat there waiting for her.

"No thanks, Mom. I'll just make my own lunch." Sayori said to her mother but actually herself. "School food sucks anyway..." she said mid-sigh.

As she opened her fridge, sure enough, there were the previous day's leftovers snugly placed at the bottom shelf next to the eggs.

"Yay!" Sayori said with a small smile as she heated up her soon to be lunch. With 15 minutes till school, a proper breakfast was out of the question. Luckily for her, Midori always bought a stalk of bananas before returning home from work. Sayori grabbed a banana and munched down while waiting for her meal to heat in the microwave. As she looked down at her feet, she suddenly remembered something.

"I FORGOT TO CHANGE!"

Sayori rushed back upstairs to her room, her uniform and blazer still hung on her wardrobe door waiting for her. As she frantically took off her pyjamas and buttoned up her blazer, she realised her bow was still not tied either. "I'm not going to make it!" she whined as she half-heartedly put her bow together while sliding her arms into her blazer. For some reason, she couldn't find the left arm hole. "COME ON!" she shouted as the microwave started beeping. Tear started forming in her eyes as she accidentally dropped her bow. "Fuck it!" she said angrily as she grabbed everything and rushed downstairs.

The microwave beeped again.

"I know, I KNOW!"

Sayori opened the microwave door and took out her Tupperware.

"OW, FUCK!" she exclaimed as the still hot plastic box burned her finger. Luckily, she dropped the Tupperware onto the kitchen counter and nothing was spilled. Sayori then finally put her blazer on and fixed her bow. She stood there for a moment, processing whatever just happened. She looked at her burnt fingers before angrily slamming the microwave door shut.

"I can't do anything right!" she screamed in agony, the tears starting to trickle down her face. With another sigh, she walked over to the sink and cooled her burn under the running water. From her kitchen window, she saw a brown haired woman rush into her car from the house down the road. That was Mrs. Kazuma, the mother of her childhood friend Anon. Seeing as the front door was already closed, Sayori assumed Anon had long since reached school. Sayori and Anon shared schools throughout and they used to walk to school together. However, as time went on, Anon became increasingly holed up and busy with his work and their trips became less frequent. Not to mention, Sayori would always wake up an hour after Anon anyway. Eventually, they stopped walking together altogether. Seeing his mother only made Sayori's mood worse. She knew Anon stopped walking with her because she was always late and she blamed herself for that. The two haven't even spoken in years and Sayori was miserable everyday as a result. But more than that, Sayori had another secret.

She had depression.

She had it since young, but she only understood it during her middle school years. She kept it to herself, however, as she didn't want anyone worrying about her, even her own mother. She didn't know why or when; maybe it was when her parents divorced, maybe it was when Anon stopped talking to her, all she knew was there was nothing she could do about it. Every day was an uphill battle. She wasn't the type who got bullied, she didn't make enemies and in fact, she ended up making more friends than Anon. But she still struggled to get by every single day: even at home she felt like garbage.

And she felt that everything she touched turned to garbage.

And there goes the garbage truck.

"The garbage truck? OH NO!" Sayori exclaimed in panic as the green garbage truck roll past her window. Looking at the main clock, Sayori realised she had been staring at nothing for 10 minutes and now she was late for morning assembly. "Hopefully I can still make it for Biology." she said.

Wiping her hands and grabbing her bag and Tupperware, she bolted out of her front door. She ran past the Takudo household. She ran past the Suiji household. She ran past her neighbour Lee watering his plants. She ran past with her eyes widened.

"I FORGOT TO TURN OF THE SINK!"

As Sayori turned to run back, she heard someone calling her name.

"Sayori! Sayori dear!"

As Sayori turned around, she realised it was just Aunty Aiko. She was standing in front of her restaurant door, but she seemed to be troubled with something. Letting out an annoyed breath, Sayori forced a smile and waved.

"Hey Aunty Aiko! Is there something I can help you with?" As Sayori walked over, she noticed Aunty Aiko had her hands filled with her usual ingredients and on the floor were more plastic bags that were also filled with other food items.

The elderly lady gave out a toothless smile. "Y-yes, Sayori dear! Can you help me with my groceries?" Sayori looked at all the heavy bags. How long would an out of shape high-schooler and an eighty year old woman take to heave all this shit to the kitchen, which was at the BACK of the establishment? Still, Sayori knew better than to leave an old woman hanging.

"Sure, Aunty Aiko! Here, hand me those bags; I'll help you carry them in."

"Thank you, dear!" Aunty Aiko handed Sayori her bags and took out a small metal key and unlocked the glass doors of her restaurant, letting Sayori in before following suit with more bags.

"Pant...pant...all done Aunty Aiko!"

"Thank you Sayori dear! Here, Aunty Aiko just made some fresh parfait before the ingredients arrived-you should eat some!"

"Oh, it's alright, Aunty Aiko, really! I was just doing what everyone should do; it's not that big of a deal." Sayori lied, her mouth watering at the sound of free ice-cream but her brain telling her to get the fuck to school. However, seeing Aunty Aiko's kind gesture made her feel bad.

"Well...I guess I could have ONE scoop..."

Aunty Aiko let out a small chuckle.

"You're still the same old Sayori after all these years."

Sayori smiled before turning away and rolling her eyes.

"Oh I bet..."

...

After what seemed like an eternity, Sayori finally made it to school. At the gate, an irate boy greeted her.

"You're late again." He said, tapping his fingers on his notebook.

"I'm sorry, Kouichi, I had to help my neighbour carry some-"

"I'm not here to hear excuses. You're late again, which brings you up to six times this month and that means only one thing." replied the annoyed Kouichi.

"W-wha?" Sayori exclaimed in shock. "I never knew I had that many!" "Come on, Kouichi, I promise I won't be late again!"

"I'm sorry Sayori, but rules are rules. Six late-comings equals detention. Now hand me your student pass."

"Fine..." Sayori said with a pout, hiding the fact that she wanted to smack the arrogant boy in the face. Kouichi took Sayori's pass. "I'll give this back after your detention is over." He said, continuing to look at her. Sayori stood there expecting something more.

"What are you still standing here for? Go to class!" Kouichi said, raising his voice.

"Ehehe... sorry..." Sayori laughed as she turned around. "Then why were you looking at me like you were about to say something, jackass?" she muttered quietly to herself.

"What was that?"

"Oh crap." Sayori gasped. Kouichi had heard her.

"N-nothing!" Sayori spun back around. "I was just saying how great of a president you were!"

"Sayori, your attitude is terrible! Not only were you late and tried to make excuses for it, but you had the cheek to talk back to the student body president! I'm going to give you detention for the whole week! Understood?" the arrogant president scolded.

"Yes sir." Sayori said defeated. "Off to a great start are we, huh February?" she said internally.

As she cautiously opened her classroom door, she peered inside. Everyone in the classroom stopped to stare at her.

"Late again, Sayori?" asked her teacher, Mrs. Chen with a disapproving look.

"Ehehe... sorry Mrs. Chen." Apologized Sayori. By this time, she was ready to break down, but she couldn't let everyone else know she was suffering. Everyone in her class thought of her as bubbly and friendly, if a bit clumsy and non-observant, so she had to respond in a way that her classmates were expecting her to respond to not arouse suspicion.

"Take a seat quickly; we're already starting on a new topic."

Sayori hurriedly took a seat next to her best friend Mio.

"Jeez Sayori, you need to get to school earlier next time!" chided Mio. "I don't want to see you get scolded by that dickhead of a president again!"

"Uwaah! Don't use that language! It's dirty!" Sayori exclaimed angrily, despite swearing behind the scenes on a daily basis. Again, suspicion.

"I'm sorry, but it's the truth. I saw what happened outside from the window. Did he give you a hard time?"

"Yeah... it's nothing really, just detention." Sayori lied, not wanting to say how much she wanted to kill the guy. Thankfully, Mio seemed to believe her.

"Ugh, I can't even with that guy. He's only nice to the popular girls like Kisami or Fumi. Girls like us? Pfft! The worst part is, those girls seem to eat him up, not knowing how much of a fake bastard he is. How the hell did he even become president of the student council?!" she asked loudly, attracting the attention of her classmates.

"Shhh!" spitted out the annoyed boy sitting in front of them.

"Shut up, Kazami!" Mio retorted. Kazami shook his head and returned to his work, causing Sayori and Mio to giggle.

"Anyways," continued Mio, "you get what I'm saying, right?"

"Yeah, I guess." Sayori lied once again, which, again, seemed to convince Mio.

"Wow, Sayori, you really don't have to capacity to hate anyone. How are you going to survive in the real world? People will just walk all over you!" Mio remarked.

"You shouldn't hate people you don't actually know, Mio. Maybe he's nice once you get to know him."

"You never learn, Sayori." Laughed Mio.

With that, the two friends returned to their work and listening to Mrs. Chen drone on about photosynthesis.

It was going to be a long

Long

Day.

...

"It's going to be a long, long day."

"Jeez, Anon, why so negative?"

"What do you mean "negative"? You're probably feeling the same way! We're not even half a week through yet!"

"Anon. It's fucking April. How do you expect to survive when you're already giving up at the start of the first term?"

"I'm not giving up, Hitoshi, I'm just...unmotivated. I'm still doing homework; I'm not totally throwing in the towel."

"Yeah, but your work isn't exactly stellar."

"Don't act like yours is any better, dickhead. Hell, I heard you were the lowest for the physics recap quiz. Even I did better."

At this point, Hitoshi had stopped listening. His attention was onto something else.

"Dude, are you even listening?" Anon asked with a hint of annoyance. His eyes followed Histoshi's and landed on a girl with a large white bow.

"Dude. You need to stop staring at Monika."

"Why? Are you scared that she's going to catch you?"

"No, it's just really frikin' creepy."

"Whatever, man. You don't get to talk shit to me like that; you were in the same class as her last year!"

"I only spoke to her a few times, though. Hold on, are you jealous?"

"What? N-no I'm not, why would I? She's just a bitch anyway like the other council members."

"You're totally jealous, dude! You're face is fucking red!"

"Sh-shut up, bitch! You're staring at her too!"

Anon's face suddenly filled with realisation. Through all the talking about Monika, he had inadvertently started staring at the popular girl as well. As his eyes moved up to check if she had seen, his realisation quickly turned to panic.

Monika was looking right back at him.

Anon quickly turned his head back to Hitoshi and pretended to laugh at something he had said.

Unfortunately, Hitoshi was still staring. "Oh for god's sa-"

"Can I help you two with something?" Monika asked, folding her arms. Her clique had stopped their conversation and now all the attention were on the two boys. Snickering could be heard from within them.

Anon turned back to Hitoshi looking for an answer, but the wall greeted him instead. "What the-" As he spun back around, he saw Hitoshi quickly walking into a classroom that wasn't even his. "Thanks, dick." he said to himself.

"Err... no, nothing. I-I was just... spacing out."

Monika raised an eyebrow.

Anon decided against continuing this awkward conversation and hurried off to his class, while Monika's clique burst out into laughter behind him. As he briskly walked down the corridor to his classroom, his mind was overflowing with anger. Not only had his so-called friend hung him out to dry, but the most popular girl in his level not only didn't recognise him anymore, but probably thought he was a creep and a loser now. "I'm going to fucking kill you." he muttered softly, his voice dripping with venom. As he finally reached his class, a girl suddenly walked out of the door, smashing into him.

"Jesus! Watch where the fuck you're-"

Anon's anger filled eyes subsided quickly once he realised there were books all over the floor. He looked back up towards the girl. Instead of picking up her books, she just stood there clutching her left arm with her long purple hair in her face. Anon noticed that she was slightly trembling and felt slightly awful he had yelled at someone for no reason.

"I-I'm sorry. I'll help you pick these up." He offered. The girl continued standing there, lowering her head more.

Anon decided to make the first move and reached for a book, but as he did, the purple haired girl reached to grab the same book and they bumped heads once again.

"Kya!" she jumped, startling Anon. "Nice going, idiot. Now you've upset two girls in the span of two minutes." Anon scolded himself. This time, as he reached to grab the books, the girl didn't reach with him. In fact, she looked to be even more afraid than before.

Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, Anon had gathered all the girl's books. As he handed the books over to her, the girl finally opened her mouth.

"S-sorry..." she said almost inaudibly.

"Oh, don't apologise. It's my fault anyway and I'm sorry for shouting at you too. I was being a real jerk." The girl still didn't look up at him; her eyes firmly planted on her blue shoes. "Wow, am I really that bad?" Anon thought to himself. "Fuck it; I'll give it one last shot."

"I'm Anon, by the way." he introduced, hoping the girl would at least give him her name. Thankfully, she had seemed to calm down.

"Y-Yuri..." she said a little louder, but still pretty much inaudible.

"I-It's nice to meet you Yuri." Anon tried, a little relieved he didn't make a fool out himself a second time.

As Yuri finally looked up, Anon realised how unique the girl was. As her purple hair drifted away from her face, it revealed a large pair of violet eyes. She also had a rather mature figure. Anon stopped his eyes from going any lower than Yuri's neck.

"I take it that you're going to your class?" Anon asked.

"Y-yeah. I have biology now and mathematics later..." she managed. As Anon took physics, it made sense why Yuri had left the class in a hurry, but his mind focused on something else.

"Wait, you have mathematics in second period?" he asked.

"Y-yeah."

"And is Mr Okuda your teacher? Or is it Mrs Nakamura?"

"M-Mr Okuda..."

"Hey, that's my teacher too. I don't seem to remember you, though."

Yuri looked down again, her face turning red. "Oh, god, what the fuck did I say now?" Anon thought.

"I-I..."

Anon decided to drop the topic before he made the poor girl feel worse, even though he had no idea why she was feeling that way.

"Well, I'll see you later, then. It's nice to meet you, Yuri."

The purple hair girl managed a nod before brushing past him.

"What a weird girl." Anon thought. As he walked into the classroom, a familiar sight greeted him.

"What took you so long?"

"Shut the fuck up, asshole! Some friend you are. Now Monika probably thinks I'm some kind of pervert."

"Well, you kind of are. Remember? Staring?"

Anon rolled his eyes, trying his hardest not to break Hitoshi's jaw.

"Just, forget about that. Come on, we have physics to learn."

...

"Have a good day, sweetie!"

"Thanks mom..."

Yuri hurriedly got out of her mother's car. As she looked towards the bright yellow banners stringing across the school walls, her anxiety started to rush back in and her breathing quickened.

"What's wrong dear?" asked Yuna with a worried expression on her face.

"N-nothing, mom, I'm fine. I-I'm just... a little tired... that's all." Yuri lied.

"She's just scared she won't get a boyfriend." A high-pitched voice came from the back seat.

"Y-YUKI!" Yuri exclaimed, her hands quickly jumping up her to chest. Her little sister's face popped up from behind the window. "Hahaha! Look at her getting all red, Mom!"

"Alright Yuki, that's enough now." chided Yuna. "You sure you're alright, Yuri?"

"Yes Mom, I'm fine. Look, I-I really have to go now, bye Mom!" Yuri nervously answered. Yuna still wasn't convinced but decided to let it go. Lowering her window, she silently waved to Yuri and drove off.

As Yuri made her way up the steps towards the main building, she could already feel the eyes of the many students surrounding her. Some younger boys hanging out around the railings started to whistle, making Yuri even more nervous than she already was. She quickly hid her head under her long purple hair and quickened her pace. After all, she knew these clueless boys weren't her biggest problem.

As she finally crossed the highest step and made her way into the building, she looked around to see students swarming around, mostly in groups or in pairs. Yuri's heart sank. Even though she knew she didn't have many friends, it still hurt that she wasn't part of any clique. To her, she didn't belong anywhere. She lowered her head and started walking to her usually spot before school started; the study benches. Hopefully she wouldn't get noticed by anyone.

Approaching the study benches, Yuri's biggest fear came true. Scattered around the many benches was the popular group. Many student leaders were there, cheerleaders, boys from the basketball team; people Yuri generally didn't want to attract the attention of. Hoping to not get their attention, Yuri quietly sat down at the furthest bench and pulled out a book from her bag.

"The Portrait of Markov? The hell kind of stupid name is that?" a voice rang out from few benches next to her, making her jump.

She turned her head to see a light-brown haired girl staring at her. Not wanting to respond, she lowered her head and tried to start reading.

"Hey! I'm talking to you, Yuri! You're reading some stupid edgy crap again, aren't you?" the girl asked with more hostility.

Yuri felt her face heat up and she lowered her head even further. At this point she might as well rest her chin on the table. By this point, the girl had had enough of Yuri ignoring her and walked over to the poor girl.

"Yuri! I asked you a question and you didn't even bother to answer? And yet you sulk when you realise you don't have any friends! Seriously, how conceited can you get?" The girl's words felt like a smack to the face, but Yuri couldn't even argue because she was right.

"F-Fumi I-I'm not even bothering you! P-please... j-just leave me alone!" Yuri cried out a little loudly. Fumi was taken aback and the rest of her clique had walked over to see what was going on. People standing around in the hallway had also turned towards her. Sniggering could be heard.

Realising she had raised her voice, Yuri's face again turned completely red as she looked down. A girl with slightly darker brown hair walked up behind Fumi.

"Come on, Fumi. She's not bothering us; let's just get to class, alright?" Yuri was surprised that a member of the popular clique wasn't outright bullying her, but she still felt like complete garbage.

Fumi scoffed at the shy girl before walking off with her friends. As Yuri looked up, she was shocked to see the brown haired girl standing in front of her.

"A-AH" she exclaimed before quickly turning away once again, fiddling with her long plum coloured hair. The girl walked over to her.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to scare you..." the girl started. Yuri continued to avoid eye contact; after all, she still couldn't trust this girl: She's part of the popular clique. Seeing as she had made her nervous, the girl sat down next to her, placing her hands on her lap.

"Hey, don't worry about them, alright?" the girl tried. Yuri still looked away, playing with her hair once more. "Err... I'm Monika, by the way. It's nice to meet you...Yuri, I'm assuming."

Millions of thoughts flooded Yuri's head. "Why is the popular girl being nice to me? Can I trust her? What if she's playing me? I probably should not talk to her, oh but then she would get mad that I'm ignoring her like Fumi did. But I still don't want to talk to her too much and end up making a fool of myself. Uuuuh... what do I do?" While all this was happening, Monika just sat there waiting for a response. To Yuri's surprise, Monika didn't get agitated or impatient. Instead, she looked patient and had a knowing smile on her face. After what seemed like an eternity, Yuri decided to respond.

"Yes! M-my name is Yuri."

Monika stuck her hand out to shook, to which Yuri responded by gingerly holding out her own hand and shaking it in return.

What followed was a deafening awkward silence. Monika shifts a bit in her seat hoping to get a response out of Yuri, but that only made Yuri nervous again as she looks down blushing.

Sensing that Yuri had no idea what to say, Monika decided to take the first step.

"So, what classes do you take, Yuri?"

"B-biology..."

Monika sat there expecting something more, but realised Yuri wasn't capable of answering with more than one word.

"O-okay... what else do you take Yuri? Are you enrolled in any other electives?"

Yuri felt awful that Monika had to prompt her to keep talking, but her second question perked her interest a little.

"O-oh...I-I do... actually... I'm taking poetry." Yuri's answer was returned with a shocked expression on Monika's face and her short burst of confidence melted away. "O-oh no... She's going to think I'm weird for enrolling in an elective like that... w-what was I thinking? My whole class already thought it was weird, so why did I just say it out loud?" Yuri thought to herself, her morale plummeting by the second.

To her surprise, Monika expression morphed into a rather joyous one.

"That's wonderful, Yuri! Personally I would also like to join more leisurely electives like yours, but I kinda have to commit to more leadership intensive ones that help the school directly, you know: Student Leader and all?"

Monika's response might have been condescending to some people, but to Yuri it was music to her years. For once, someone didn't make fun of her weird hobbies. However, it seemed that Monika only liked those electives due to their more laidback nature, rather than actually being invested in poetry.

"Can you keep a secret, Yuri?"

"H-huh?" Yuri was taken aback by this sudden question. "Oh, err... I-err... I mean, I, yes I guess..."

"So that's a yes?" Monika asked accompanied with an awkward laugh, making Yuri blush out of embarrassment.

"Well, I kind of like writing poems myself. Don't tell this to my friends, though: They'll think I'm weird and all that! But still, I love poems! They're a very simple and efficient way of capturing our thoughts and our feelings. Keeping these feelings inside won't do us any good, but when written down, these emotions come alive. You get what I'm saying, right Yuri?"

Yuri was awestruck. Everything Monika said reflected her own life: Her feelings were mostly kept to herself; even when she wrote them down in poems, she never showed them to anyone anyway, but it still felt good to get them down on paper. But more than that, the fact that a popular girl-THE most popular girl in her batch had the same hobby as her, and a weird one at that, was completely beyond her. This had to be a dream!

"Err... Yuri?" Monika's question snapped Yuri out of her dream. "You're kinda daydreaming a bit."

"I-I am? I'm sorry..."

"Oh no, don't apologise! There's nothing wrong with being lost in your own world- I get lost in mine sometimes as well, especially when writing poems." Yuri was once again pleasantly surprised; the list of similarities between the two girls kept growing.

"Maybe I could take a look at one of your poems, Yuri!"

Yuri felt like she just hit a brick wall. That was by far the worst question anyone could have asked her. Her confidence shattered into a million pieces and she reverted back to hiding behind her bangs, her face flushed and her hands trembling.

"N-no..." she said rather softly.

"What was that, Yuri?"

"NO!" Yuri shouted in exasperation, making Monika jump a bit. Immediately after that, Yuri retreated behind her wall of hair. "D-did I raise my voice? Uuuuh... I-I'm so, so sorry!"

Seeing the poor girl in such a sorry state, Monika decided to drop the topic. "That's alright, Yuri... err... what subject do you have now?"

Yuri didn't answer. Monika was crushed. After all that effort trying to get Yuri to open up, just when it seemed like it could finally work, it all came crashing back down onto her. "Well, I have social studies in a few minutes time so I better get going."

"Y-yeah..." Yuri finally responded, though with much less eagerness than before.

"I'll see you a-"

Monika's response was cut short by the tall girl standing up almost instantly and rushing off down the hall with her head down.

"-round..." Monika sighed. Was she really that intimidating? She looked up and realised something.

"Hey Yuri! You're going the wrong way!" No response from the girl. Monika looked on in sympathy. After all, she knew her clique's opinion on Yuri and suffice to say it wasn't the most positive. Monika herself had no strong disliking towards Yuri before their conversation, but the rest of them, especially Fumi, did. Monika thought Fumi's reason was kind of stupid, but she couldn't argue against it because it would be rather hypocritical, given her more... developed... body. The boys would mostly tease her to get a laugh out of Yuri's embarrassment, which they thought was cute; to Monika it was sad and pathetic.

Monika heaved out another sigh as she turned and walked towards her own class.

...

"Well, I'll see you later, then. It's nice to meet you, Yuri."

The day had gone from bad to worse for Yuri: Not only did she enter the wrong class, get laughed at by the students and scolded by the teacher, but she had a head-on collision with another student and had a train wreck of a conversation with him. It seemed like Yuri's decent start to the day was a mere fluke and everything was reverting back to normal for her.

"Biology. Ok, I made it." She said to herself as she finally reached the correct classroom.

As she entered the room, she was surprised to see that it was still relatively empty. She hastily made her way to the back of the class and sat down at her seat, all the while her classmates paid no attention to her.

Yuri decided to skip the book after her nightmare of a situation just now and simply sat there staring out of the window.

As more and more her classmates started funnelling in, the classroom grew noisier and noisier, fuelling Yuri's anxiety. To make matters worse, some of the naughtier boys had started entering.

"Damn, look at Yuri today! She's looking hella thick!"

"Yeah, fine for a freaking psycho! Did you not here the things she does when she's alone?"

Yuri felt her body tense up as she bit down on her lip. These words weren't new to her ears, but it didn't hurt any less to hear. To her relief, the noise didn't last long as her teacher Mrs. Chen walked in with the biology recap quizzes. Finally! Some good news! This was the one thing Yuri had been looking forward to: The quiz that she had studied hard for. After a disaster ridden morning, an A wouldn't hurt, would it?

Turns out, it would.

After the students and Mrs. Chen exchanged greetings, Mrs. Chen moved straight to the quiz results. Sure enough, Yuri did the best.

"For the highest score, we have Yuri! Everyone give her a round of applause!"

A few claps splattered throughout the room like bird shit. "Oh please, it's just a damn quiz, Mrs. Chen! What's the big deal?" Embarrassed, Yuri looked down, her face turning redder by the second.

"God, look at her. She's topped the class but can't even say a damn word. What an arrogant bi-"

"Goro! Enough!" scolded Mrs. Chen. She turned back to the now shaking Yuri. "Congratulations, Yuri." she praised, extending out her arm, signalling Yuri to walk to the front of the class and take it.

Yuri just sat in her seat, completely unable to move.

"Hey dumbass! You're supposed to collect your quiz!" one of the boys called out from across the classroom after a short moment of silence, making Yuri jump.

"Come on Yuri, stop holding up the class already! We want to know our results too, you know?" another girl said from somewhere else.

All these comments shooting from all over the classroom only made things worse for the shy girl. By now, she was stuck in her cowering pose as if someone had glued her skirt to her seat.

Mrs. Chen sighed. "Please pass this down to Yuri." She asked as she handed Yuri's quiz to the person sitting at the front of her row. As it made its way down, the poor quiz was met with scowls of all the students who held it and when it finally reached Yuri, there were additional comments on it that were definitely not made by Mrs. Chen.

"Dumb bitch!" it read in fine blue ink. Mrs. Chen didn't seem to notice, as she was already moving on to the other scores.

Yuri tried her best to look through her quiz and review her few mistakes, but her eyes were already starting to cloud up with tears. Thankfully, her quiet stifles were drowned out by the rest of the class as they chattered amongst each other, comparing results. In the midst of all the commotion, Yuri silently spoke to herself in tears.

"Sniff...p-please G-God...sniff...L-let me j-just by t-this o-one day...sniff"

...

Ten minutes had passed and by now, the roaring classroom had been reduced to occasional whispers as Mrs. Chen finished through the answers. Yuri was too distraught to be paying attention, but she had a near perfect score anyway, so it didn't really matter too much.

Trying to calm herself down, Yuri tried closing her eyes, but her efforts were cut short by the front door suddenly flinging open. A coral-pink haired girl rushed inside panting heavily.

"Late again, Sayori?"

Yuri looked up, wiping her eyes.

"Ehehe... sorry Mrs. Chen."

The girl that just walked in late was Sayori, the bubbly and carefree girl who usually made Yuri's class laugh. Yuri found her annoying, but she was one of the only ones who didn't make fun of her; or maybe she was just too nonobservant to notice all the shit that has been going down. In fact, when she's next to her best friend Mio, the two pretty much forget any of the crap that's happening around them.

"Take a seat quickly; we're already starting on a new topic."

Sure enough, Sayori briskly walked towards the empty seat next to Mio and plopped down into it and class resumed as normal.

Yuri attempted to focus on the lesson, which surprisingly seemed to work; the class was amazingly devoid of noise, none of the students were paying enough attention to her to make fun of her and the topic on photosynthesis was relatively easy. Sensing this opportunity to finally get back into the lesson, Yuri swiftly took out her notebook and began writing down notes.

"Alright class, now that we've finished going through the structure of a chloroplast, I thought we would try something a bit different today."

"Shit."

Just when Yuri thought she could finally learn in peace, Mrs. Chen had to ruin it with ideas of her own.

"I would like all of you to pair up and create a diagram of the chloroplast however you would like. There's no exact criterion, but the individual segments of the chloroplast have to be highlighted and you have to give a brief summary of their functions. The due date is tomorrow, so you and your partner can work on this project after school."

Yuri sighed in despair. Her experience with pair work was far from pleasant, but in a class like this? At this point she would be happy if she could work alone. Even though she would look like a total loner, at least she wouldn't get paired with someone who would put her through hell and back.

As she looked around the class, the usual scene plays out: The boys pair with each other, the girls group up then split into pairs, Sayori and Mio get to work immediately, shutting themselves off from the rest of the class, leaving her in her own seat by herself.

Yuri decided to get to start on her diagram now and finish it before school ends, but before she can get her ideas down onto her sketchpad, a voice from behind her derails her train of thought.

"I-is this seat taken?"

**End of Chapter One**


	2. Chapter 2: Adventure

"And then we will draw the Thylacine Membranes here!"

"Thylakoids!"

"Ehehe…sorry…I've been reading too much on extinct animals…"

"Sayori-Evolution and Adaptation doesn't even begin until after midterms! What the hell have you been reading?"

"Language, Mio! And besides, it doesn't hurt to get a head start, does it?

"Huh. I guess you're right. Tell me then, are there any other extinct animals that you know of?"

"Uhhhh… well let's see… there's the Dodo Bird, obviously, the aforementioned Thylacine, or Tasmanian Tiger, Passenger Pigeons are long gone and-Hey! We're supposed to be working on plants, not animals!"

"Hahaha! My goodness, Sayori, you get distracted easily, don't you?"

"Uwaah! Meanie!"

Sayori and Mio continued on with their project. Mrs. Chen had tasked the class with drawing a diagram on the chloroplast of a plant cell as a lead-in to photosynthesis, one of the killer topics in their school. Of course, since Sayori was late, Mio had to supplement Sayori with each part.

"Wow, Sayori, you're really good at drawing." Mio noted, seeing Sayori's cute chloroplast design.

"Ehehe…don't say that Mio, you're making me blush." Sure enough, Sayori's face was turning slightly pink, matching her hair.

"It true, though. All I can draw are stick figures and even then they look like shit."

"Language!"

"Right, language, sorry! Anyway when the Thylakoid Membranes are stacked like this, the entire thing is called a Granum, multiple Granum are called Grana. You got it?"

"Huh? Grandma? I love my grandma!" Sayori started with a confused expression followed by an overjoyed one. Mio simply rolled her eyes.

"Gra-NA, Sayori. And stop talking about grandmas… you know I'm sensitive when it comes to my grandparents…"

"Oh…right. I'm sorry Mio, I didn't mean to make you upset." Sayori immediately wiped the smile off her face.

"Nah its fine, just-try to be more sensitive next time. Oh who am I kidding; you'll just blurt it out without knowing in like ten seconds or whatever."

"Eh? Meanie! You got to give me more credit than that!"

"Alright, alright-but I'm watching you Sayoyo-don't test me. Come on; let's get back to the project."

Mio starts writing down the functions of the Thylakoid Membranes before sitting up suddenly.

"What? What happened?" questioned Sayori puzzedly.

"I almost forgot! Your test came back too! It's err…not looking good, to say the least."

Mio handed Sayori's quiz. "9/20" stared back at her.

"OH NO! I FAILED AGAIN! MY MOM'S GONNA KILL MEEEEE!" Sayori whined.

"Jesus, Sayori, it's just a recap quiz and besides, I did worse, look:"

Sayori glanced over at Mio's quiz. "3/20" it read. "SEE ME!" followed suit in large Mrs. Chen handwriting.

Despite this, Sayori's internal mood did not improve. Outside, she looked whiny in a funny way, but inside, she was completely dejected. Another bad test? Midori would suspect something is up and start questioning her and then she would feel even worse. This year is already turning out to be a nightmare!

"Haha…I guess you did…" Sayori faked a laugh. Luckily for her, Mio's attention was already back to the project. "It's alright, Sayori. This project will launch us back into the class's top spots."

"Oh I bet…" Sayori muttered.

…

"Uh, hello? Weird girl? I'm asking you: Is. This. Seat. Taken."

Yuri could feel her face flush as she turned to look at the source of the voice. As her head rotated to the right, her eyes were greeted by a much shorter girl than her. She had hot pink hair and matching eyes. Her said hair was tied up into two small tails and matching ribbons dangled from her frolicking locks. An hourglass-shaped hairclip finalized her look. Her face was equally as red as Yuri's, though with more annoyance than fright.

"Uh-uhm…I…"

"Oh come on! This seat is clearly empty so it is very clearly NOT taken! Why must you make me admit that I want to do this project with you? Ugh!"

Yuri had no idea what she had said to make this girl so irritated, but she still felt embarrassed nonetheless; hiding her bright red face under her bangs as she looked away.

"Oh, no. It's not like I want to do this with you; it's just, my table partner is a complete dumbass. Everyone else was already taken and I assume you had no one to do it with-"

The girl stopped herself from talking when she realized who exactly she was talking to.

"S-sorry…" she said so softly even Yuri couldn't hear it. Thankfully, it had seemed that Yuri hadn't picked up on her mistake. "So, you want to do this or not?" the girl continued.

Yuri had no choice. If she ignored the girl she would only make things worse for her-one more person to the list of people who hate Yuri. "I-I cannot let that happen!" she thought.

"S-sure…err…"

"Natsuki. And you are?"

"Yu-"

"Yeah, I know who you are!" Natsuki interrupted. "I hear your name almost every day! Jeez…I was being sarcastic."

Yuri was insulted. She didn't need someone telling her how notorious she was, but she couldn't let that anger escape at the chance of making another enemy.

"Well, what are you waiting for, Yuri? We have to hand this in by tomorrow. You know what chloroplasts do, right? I mean, I sure hope so-I did notice you looking at your test the whole time when Mrs. Chen was going through the quiz results."

"Oh no!" Yuri's mind started racing. "S-she didn't see me… c-cry, did she? She's going to laugh at me if she did, like everyone else!"

"If that's the case, don't worry! I listened to everything she said, so you can thank me when I carry you to another A for your report card!" Natsuki finished smugly. Her attitude was surprisingly amusing for Yuri. Though it came off as arrogant, it did make Yuri laugh internally.

"W-what are you laughing at?!"

Or externally?

Yuri quickly covered her mouth.

"N-nothing! I j-just thought of something funny, that's all!" Yuri quickly defended herself.

"Hmph. If you think you're going to carry me in this project since you're so smart and all, you can just forget it! I did well too, see!"

Natsuki shoved her own quiz into Yuri's face.

"16/20. Huh. That's actually quite good…" Yuri thought. "Maybe she isn't as bad as I thought. I have to try and make friends with her, or at least not make her hate me like everyone else!"

"I-I didn't mean to insult you, N-Natsuki. You d-did well for the test, so I'm sorry for thinking otherwise..."

Natsuki became flustered. This is not the response she was used to getting from her friends.

"W-well, of course! I'm a pro, after all!" Natsuki blurted out, completely ignoring Yuri's apology. Yuri had zero idea how to continue their conversation and was starting to lose hope, but she decided to give one last shot.

"S-so...w-where would you like to start? Would you like to draw the chloroplasts first?"

"Sounds good-gives us a template and we can work from there."

"W-what can I do?" Yuri asked.

Natsuki thought for a moment.

"How much did you manage to catch from Mrs. Chen's lesson?"

Yuri looked down in embarrassment.

"I take that as not much, then. Hmm...Let's see..." Natsuki thought again. "Aha! I got it! Can you show me your notebook?"

Yuri's face flew into panic. "W-why?!" she cried out, raising her voice. Heads turned in their direction, causing Yuri to cover her mouth.

"Mind your own business, fools! Can't you see a genius is at work here?" Natsuki angrily retorted. Yuri was taken aback.

"W-why'd you do that?" she asked, avoiding eye contact with the spunky girl.

"Because they were annoying me. Weren't they annoying you, too?"

"Y-yes b-but... n-never mind..." Yuri gave up.

"Oh come ON, Yuri: You've got to stand up for yourself for once. I'm sick of seeing you look sorry for yourself every time someone rudely insults you!" Natsuki had a triumphant look on her face but it immediately fell off once she noticed Yuri once again avoiding eye contact with her face burning up.

"I-I didn't mean it like that..." Natsuki muttered softly. No response from the timid girl. Natsuki gave off an angry sigh. "Yuri, look. What I meant was: These people are all dumb. Of course I would know that because I'm obviously smarter than them, but my point is: You're... smart as well..." Natsuki said that last part with a bit of hesitation, almost as if it was a chore to spit out. However, after seeing Yuri still avoiding eye contact, Natsuki shifted back to her irritated phase.

"G-God! I'm complimenting you here! Can you stop being so stuck up for just one second? You just really want to hear me say it, don't you?" Natsuki asked angrily. In response, Yuri looked up in fear.

"I-I..." Yuri could barely speak as tears started to glisten in her eyes. She had no idea what she had done to make Natsuki this angry, but she still hated herself for it. Natsuki looked down.

"F-fine! Y-you're really good, ok? You're smart and I wouldn't have picked anyone else to do the project with! I know I said that my table partner was an idiot, but it's not like I picked you because I had no choice, alright?" As Natsuki continued, Yuri's bad thoughts started to disintegrate. All the indirect compliments Natsuki was showering her was both confusing but also embarrassing for the poor maiden. She had no idea how to respond to such genuine praise, especially from a classmate she assumed hated her.

"I-I just want a good grade and I think you are the best person to help me for that..." Natsuki finished off quietly; her confident persona in shambles as she looked way from Yuri.

"Y-you really think that?" Yuri finally responded after what seemed like an eternity.

"Erm! Well, I..." Natsuki had trouble answering, causing Yuri to smile a very small smile. Seeing Yuri finally loosen up refuelled Natsuki's confidence as a smile emerged on her face as well.

"I-I mean! Y-yeah! But don't tell anybody I said that! I think these people are all idiots, that's all! Don't think I'm praising you or anything!"

Yuri knew Natsuki was trying to hide her emotions but didn't pressure her. Inside, she felt a rare warmth as someone finally didn't think she was weird.

"I-it's alright, Natsuki. Let's continue with our work."

"Yeah! Let's show these nitwits who's really in charged here!"

As Natsuki looked down and continued drawing the chloroplast, Yuri let out a small smile. Maybe things weren't going to be so bad after all.

…

"Alright class, the lesson is over, don't worry if you haven't finished yet; you still have the whole of afternoon to complete it and since you already have this project, I'll give you less homework as well; just complete until the end of cells: It's only like what, 3? 4 short questions, so hand those in tomorrow with your project."

As the students made their way to their next classes, Yuri and Natsuki scrambled to finish their drawing.

"What class do you have after this, Yuri?" Natsuki asked, curious.

"Oh-err...Mathematics with Mr. Okuda. W-what about you, N-Natsuki?"

"Oh, darn. I thought I could continue this if we shared classes. I have a combined lecture on economics so it'll last two hours until lunch. I guess I'll see you then?"

"O-oh, sure. S-see you."

With that, Natsuki packed her stuff and briskly walked out of the classroom. Yuri sat there in shock. This morning was turning out to be a lot better than expected. However, her slight simmer of happiness died down when she realised what she had to do next.

"O-oh no...I'm going to have to walk over to the Mathematics classroom. W-what if I bump into Fumi's clique again? I'm not ready for more of this..."

Yuri reluctantly got up to start packing her things when she felt a presence behind her. As she turned around, she recoiled in fright as a girl with coral pink hair stood right in front of her face.

"A-AH!"

The other girl reeled back in shock as well.

"UWAAH!" the girl cried out. Much to Yuri's surprise, it was just Sayori.

"O-oh, sorry Sayori. You g-gave me a scare there..."

"Ehehe, sorry Yuyu. I was just watching you staring at the door; it was honestly kinda funny!"

Yuri felt her cheeks heat up.

"I-I was? S-sorry..."

"Ehh? Why are you apologizing, Yuyu? You did nothing wrong." Sayori asked with a bewildered expression on her face.

"N-never mind! I-I better get going before the next class comes." Yuri tried to dismiss this conversation as soon as possible.

"Err, Yuyu? This class isn't used in second period."

"O-oh, b-but I still need to get to my Mathematics class, so I'll see you around!" an embarrassed Yuri hurries off.

"Ow! Jeez, Yuri, watch where you're going!"

"S-sorry!"

Sayori tired her best to stifle a laugh as an annoyed Mio clambered her way back into the classroom. "Mio, her name's Yuyu, not Yuri."

"Sayori, what the heck are you talking about? Look at the roster: It clearly says "Yuri Katagiri" on it!"

"W-wait!" Sayori's face turns into one of embarrassment and dismay. "I've called her Yuyu all this time! She must think I'm some kind of loser now!"

"Sayori, Yuri's not that kind of person. Hell, I'd say it's the opposite: Other people think SHE'S the loser. I mean, definitely not me, I'll say that much."

"Oh well. You kept me waiting long enough, let's go already!"

"Alright, alright."

As Sayori and Mio walked out of the classroom, they headed for the link way before splitting up.

"Have fun at Chemistry, Sayori!" Mio called out as she walked down the corridor to the other block. Sayori waved back as she made her way to the chemistry labs.

"Oh, I bet..."

...

Since chemistry was one of the shared subjects, Sayori's cohort was split into all three labs. This meant that there were students from every subject combination in her laboratory, including people she didn't know, and people she didn't like.

"Oh, hi Sayori. Having a good morning so far?"

"I-I guess..."

The nerve of Kouichi to ask such a stupid question. The student body president scoffed with a punch-able smirk on his face before walking over to the front of the lab.

Sayori sat down at the bench furthest from the front. There were more girls than guys in this class, so while the front few rows of girls shared seats with other girls, Sayori, with her name near the bottom of the roster, was stuck with one of the few guys. Her partner, Jin, wasn't exactly a charming young man, but at least she wasn't stuck with Kouichi. Somehow, that pompous mess was also the chemistry representative of her lab.

"Hey, Sayori."

"Hi, Jin. How was physics?"

"Oh, it was fine, I guess. Nothing special, but something funny did happen."

"Oh? Tell me, tell me! I love a good laugh!"

"Well, alright, I guess... So you know Hitoshi, right?"

"Yeah, the guy that ogles every girl despite being a complete numb nut, duh? Which girl doesn't know him?"

"You mean he's ogled you before?"

"I-n-no! Just get back to the story!"

"Alright, so he and his friend Anon, right? They decide to..."

Sayori's joy was promptly sucked out by an invisible tube. "Anon". The name rang inside her head.

Why did he have to say that name?

All of a sudden, Sayori's world fell apart around her. No longer was she surrounded by the yellow walls of the chemistry lab, but an empty black void. The sound of her classmates conversing about their previous classes replaced with an eerie silence.

"W-what's going on?" Sayori's voice started shaking.

Sayori looked down. Instead of her wooden stool, she was standing on complete nothingness.

"Where am I?"

Sayori looked around. Her surroundings weren't complete emptiness; she could see plenty of stars, or what she thought were stars anyway. To her surprise, she could walk.

As Sayori walked towards nothing, a figure appeared in the far distance.

Sayori gulped.

Her breathing quickened.

Sayori approached the figure.

"A-Anon?"

The figure didn't respond; instead, it seemed to be occupied with something else.

Sayori walked right up to the figure. Sure enough, it was Anon.

"H-hello? Anon?"

Anon stared directly in front of him, not saying a word.

Confused, Sayori followed Anon's eyes and saw herself, albeit much younger.

"Come on, Anon! Let's go on an adventure!" the younger Sayori squealed with glee. Something about the way she looked warmed the older Sayori's heart: She was in her pink pyjamas with kittens all over it; her bow was still too big for her and her eyes were filled with so much enthusiasm and happiness. She was, in a sense, an innocent child.

Sayori looked back to Anon to find a much younger Anon standing in his place, though with the same eager and blissful smile as the younger Sayori.

"Alright, captain! Go!"

Sayori takes Anon by the hand and runs towards a playground that randomly appeared a few meters away. Sayori could see blurry images of other children and their parents having fun, but only Sayori and Anon could be heard. Their laughter silenced the rest of the void around her as she followed them to the playground.

"Captain! Bad guy in front!" cried out Anon as he pointed at a random kid.

"Oh no! Man the guns! We have to stop him!"

Sayori and Anon then made guns noises with their mouths.

"Pew Pew! Pssh! We got him, Anon! We got him!"

All of a sudden, Sayori wrapped her arms around Anon.

"You saved me! You're my hero!"

Anon's cheeks turned red.

"A-ah, Sayori, let go! They're gonna laugh!"

Sure enough, the other children laughed, but they were blurred out as Sayori continued embracing her childhood friend.

"Sniff...sniff..."

Sayori looked down. Her hands were wet with tears. As her hands went up to her face, they were welcomed by even more tears.

"Are you alright?"

"UWAAH!"

Sayori jumped backwards, causing her to fall off her stool.

...

...

...

"I think she's ok..."

"Yeah, she's coming to; thank goodness. Sayori, are you alright?"

Sayori opened her eyes to find her classmates all gathered around her.

"Oww... my head hurts..."

"Sit up slowly, Sayori you fell backwards and hit your head pretty hard; Jin, are you sure you have no idea what happened?"

"Sorry Monika, one minute I was talking to her about my previous class, the next, you walked up to her and she just leapt backwards like an Olympic gymnast!"

"She was probably daydreaming about something stupid, weren't you, Sayori?"

"Kouichi, shut up. You're not helping anyone. Come on, Sayori, let's get you cleaned up."

"C-cleaned up?"

"Y-yeah, you kind of... fell into someone else's experiment and got chemicals all over you, so you should probably go wash yourself in the toilet as fast as possible."

Sayori wordlessly followed the popular girl out of the lab and into the empty corridor.

"W-what happened, Monika?"

"Oh, I saw you staring at nothing, so I decided to check up on you, but when I asked you if you were alright, you got so freaked out or something. And I'll admit, it kinda caught me off guard."

"I-is that so?" Sayori put her index fingers together. "Ehehe...I'm sorry Monika, I didn't mean to scare you."

Monika smiled warmly. "No, no; don't apologize, Sayori: It was my fault for invading your personal space."

As the duo walked over to the girl's restrooms, Sayori noticed Monika had brought her bag with her.

"What's with the bag, Monika?"

"Oh. Well, did you bring spare clothes with you?"

Sayori shook her head.

"Then you can use my spare clothing. I'll inform Mrs. Itami about your situation: She'll allow you to wear casual clothing for the rest of the day."

"Really? Wow! Thanks, Monika! You're a lifesaver!"

Feeling a little embarrassed, Monika's cheeks turned slightly red.

"Aha-no need to thank me: I'm just watching out for you like friends do!"

"That's more than I can say for Kouichi! He's literally the chemistry rep AND the student body president and he didn't even bother to help me! What a Meanie!"

"Tell me about it, oh my god! Seriously: How did he even get the president role? I have literally zero idea who would want to vote for that brainlet!"

Sayori and Monika burst out laughing!

"Don't tell him I said that! He thinks me and the girls all like him, but in reality; we all hate his guts."

"Don't worry, Monika, my lips are sealed!"

Monika took out her spare clothing and a gym towel and handed it over to Sayori.

"Make sure you wash yourself thoroughly, Sayori; those chemicals can cause skin irritation." Monika warned.

"I know, Monika: I'm not a kid anymore!" Sayori joked, causing Monika to also giggle.

"Oh, but how I wish I was..." said Sayori's inner voice as she thought back to her vision. Though she longed to hang out with Anon again, in her mind the moment would be rather bittersweet: The memories may come back to them both, but the realization that everything had changed and that they were no longer the same would also hurt them, or at least hurt her. What if the reunion was awkward? What if they could no longer click like they used to? These thoughts weighed down on Sayori as she slowly entered one of the shower stalls. Closing her eyes, she turned on the tap as she let the running water drown out her thoughts.

...

"Oh wow, it's lunch already?"

"Yeah, you were in there for quite a while, Sayori! But its ok; Mrs. Itami allowed us to have a catch-up lesson this coming Friday for the both of us. For now, let's get you something to eat."

"What about Fumi and the others?" asked Sayori.

"Oh, I messaged them to go ahead and eat first."

"You didn't tell them about me, did you?"

"Oh, no, no! I just lied that I was caught up in schoolwork."

"Really? I thought they were your best friends or something?"

"Well, you see, I consider them friends, but not to the extent of "friends-friends", you know? Like I hear them gossip about others; it just makes me feel all slimy. We don't talk about the deep stuff; in fact, we don't really talk much at all. Kisami and Fumi actually really hate each other, they just don't know it because they are both fake; but I can see it."

Sayori raised an eyebrow.

"Then why are you still talking with them?"

Monika let out a sigh.

"That's something I can't say. Not yet, at least."

"Aww, I wanted to hear the tea, but oh well. What are you planning on eating? I'm starving."

"I'm not that hungry, Sayori. You go order your food; I'll wait for you at the second floor."

Sayori skipped off happily. Something about Sayori's blissful innocence warmed Monika's heart. Thinking back to Fumi and Kisami, she thought: When was the last time I had a conversation like that with them?

Shaking her head, Monika walked up to the second level to wait for her new friend. After a few minutes, Sayori walked up with a bowl of steaming hot ramen in her hands. Sayori quickly sat down opposite Monika and the two started chatting about school.

"So Monika, club hunting is starting in a few days, right? I heard the committee talking about it a few times."

"Err, yeah, it is. Why do you ask?" Monika asked.

"See, the thing is...I kind of don't have a club to join and I was wondering if I could join your club-the debate club, right?"

Now it was Monika's turn to become embarrassed. "Ahaha... well...I...kind of...quit...the debate club..."

"WAAH?" Sayori exclaimed a little loudly. Monika looked around to see if anyone had heard her. "Oh my god, Sayori; that was too loud!" Sayori's face turned red. "Ehehe...Sorry Monika. But still; you QUIT the debate club? You're the president!"

"Well, to be honest, I couldn't stand all the drama and politics going on in there. For a club that was literally created for debating on certain topics, the members weren't exactly open to any new ideas. Don't worry, I put Takuro in charge; he's my vice-president after all."

"Vice-president?" Sayori thought to herself... all of a sudden, a light bulb blinked on inside her head.

"I've got an idea, Monika!" The popular girl jumped at the sound of Sayori's enthusiasm. "Let's create a club of our own!"

"A club of our own? What do you have in mind?"

"I'm not sure yet, but we can think of something along the way! Let's go, Monika! I know just the place!"

Monika looked reluctant. She had purposely quit the club to focus more on her studies, but seeing Sayori so happy, she really didn't want to see her smile fade. Imagine how disappointed Sayori would be if she told her no.

"I-I don't know, Sayori...creating a club out of scratch is really difficult."

"Oh, what are you saying?" Sayori grabbed Monika by the hand. "Come on, Monika! Let's go on an adventure!"

...

Yuri walked past the canteen quickly. Clutching her bento box tightly, she tried her best not the pay attention to any of the boys cat-calling her as she walked past.

"Hey Yuri! Looking mighty fine today!"

"Come on! Just look at us for once, girl!"

"Nah, she's only interested in those crappy teen romance novels to pay any attention to us!"

With each comment, Yuri felt more and more anxious. Sweat started rolling down her forehead as the path to the open garden became longer and longer. Finally, after what seemed like a 100 mile hike, Yuri stepped into the lush campus garden. Students can be seen walking around in pairs or groups; some chatting about annoying teachers, others discussing the new Avengers movie that just came out. Yuri decided to find one of the small stone benches to have her lunch.

Yuri settled on a bench which wasn't too far from the campus grounds and took out a book from her bag. Holding the book in one hand, she opened her bento box and started eating and reading in unison. Inside, there was aromatic white rice and mini sausages, deep green broccoli and a few slices of steamed egg.

"Thanks, Mom." Yuri said to herself as she dug into her meal.

Out of the corner of her eye, a group of boys started walking towards her general direction, the unpleasant sound of sniggering not far behind them. Yuri's body again tense up as she quickly hid her book and lowered her face into her bento box. To her surprise, the boys simply walked past to another bench without acknowledging her.

"Phew." She sighed as she continued with her book.

"The girl looked in dismay. What horror was to await her from beyond that door? Only she could know, but did she really want to? Only time will tell, in the penitentiary."

"Are you talking to yourself?"

Yuri jumped out of her skin. Facing her was a boy with brown, spiky hair and bushy sideburns. He had the same smirk as everyone else that conversed with her throughout high school, only much worse. His eyes were laced with menace. His tie was crudely tied around his neck and his blazer was unbuttoned. Yuri closed her eyes, praying to every force on Earth or heaven that this guy could just disappear.

"Jesus, you're weird. I can see why no one wants to talk to you. I'm Kei, by the way."

Yuri heard every word Kei said and felt her stomach knot up, but she couldn't cry, no, not in front of him; that would only make him make fun of her more.

"You're Yuri, right? I've heard plenty of things about you, Yuri: How you're always reading stupid books, how you always cut yourself looking for attention, I gotta say; that's fucking messed up."

"T-then...l-leave me alone, please! I-I'm not hurting you!" Yuri pleaded.

"Leave you alone? No way. I'm going to see if the rumours were true!" Kei laughed as he forcefully grabbed Yuri's arm.

Yuri wanted to scream. She wanted to cry. But she knew that would only make her look worse. In an attempt to get help, she looked over to the group of boys at the bench. They were laughing, but one of the boys nodded his head and walked over to Yuri and Kei.

"HEY! What the fuck do you think you're doing, Kei?"

Kei looked up in shock an immediately let go of Yuri's arm. His eyes flashed from menace to fear and back to anger as he eyed down Yuri before looking back up to the new boy.

"N-nothing, Dean. I was just... trying to bond with Yuri, is all." Kei sputtered out, his voice now shaky as sweat poured out from his entire body.

"Yeah, it better be nothing! Now get the fuck out of here before you get what's coming!" the boy, whose name was apparently Dean, barked. Kei gave one last menacing stare to Yuri before hurrying off. Dean waited until Kei was out of sight before sitting down next to Yuri, who, by now, had completely shut down. Her hair covered her face and she had gripped her book so tightly that pages were starting to tear. Dean had a look of sympathy in his eyes before opening his mouth.

"Are you alright, Yuri?"

No response from the lavender lady.

"Don't worry, Yuri-You don't have to talk yet. I can sense that you're feeling quite uncomfortable; is that right?" Dean asked gently. Yuri's mouth stayed closed, but she gave a small, almost unnoticeable nod.

"I know how you feel: Trust me, I do. People like Kei? They're trash; all of them are. But they're not important. You shouldn't feel bad, because you've done nothing wrong."

Yuri looked up at Dean, her eyes filled with tears. That's now 3 people today that have given her support. Also, this was reminiscent of her conversation with Natsuki earlier, making Yuri feel all the more at ease. Looking at Dean, she realised just how handsome he was: He had a strong jaw and deep blue eyes that were filled with concern. His arms were muscular and he had a cleanly shaven face. Compared to Kei and that other guy she talked to earlier whose name she had already forgotten, Dean was like Prince Charming. His blazer was proper, his tie was neatly tucked in and his pants were sharply creased. Everything about him screamed perfect.

"It's ok to cry, Yuri. It'll make you feel better, trust me." Dean offered, to which Yuri gladly accepted but quietly sobbing. Tears streaked down her face as Dean looked on in pity and sadness. He looked down as Yuri made short gasps in between her sobbing.

"I-it's j-just... gasp... why do they f-feel t-t-the need to b-bully me? I-I have done n-nothing to h-hurt them!"

"That's because they are pathetic and sad. Their lives are garbage, so they feel the need to pick on you. They get some sadistic joy from watching others get destroyed. It's like my Mom used to say: Bullies pick on the weak because they fear the strong. Now, I'm not saying you're weak, it's just how others see you."

"I-it's ok...sniff... I know I'm a very weak and broken person."

"See, that's where you're wrong, Yuri: You're not! And I'm not leaving until you realise that."

Yuri wiped her eyes. She didn't have the courage to tell Dean that he was wrong, but she felt like she couldn't let him down; not after those kind words that he had spoken. She forced a small smile through an incredibly pained expression.

"That's better." Dean smiled as well. His smile glowed with warmth and genuineness. Yuri still couldn't fully trust him, but at this point, she was glad that there were at least some people who didn't flat out hate her.

"That book you're reading; what's it called?" Dean asked.

Yuri's face turned red, but seeing Dean's genuine curiosity, she decided to show him.

"The Penitentiary. Sounds familiar. Care to share with me what it's about?"

"O-oh! Gladly! Erm, this one is a bit hard to talk about without spoilers, but I'll do my best!"

"Don't rush yourself, Yuri-I'm all ears."

Yuri gave the book a quick scan before summarizing its plot to Dean.

"So basically it's about this girl who wakes up in a prison with no idea of why she's in there. She gets ill treatment from the guards without knowing the full extent of her crimes, so throughout the book she learning from her fellow inmates about her real life and the secrets everyone's been hiding from her. It's quite a long read, but that's because there's two parts: One for her life inside the prison, and one outside where she looks for those who put her in the prison."

Yuri looked at Dean, who by now has his eyes wide open in awe.

"O-oh, I'm sorry, I've bored you, h-haven't I?"

"Not at all, Yuri! In fact, if I'm being honest, that's a pretty good story right there. It brings forth many questions about trust and the setting of the prison really heightens the plot."

"Y-yes! I'm g-glad you think so..." Yuri blushed, looking off to the side.

After some small talk between the two, Dean stood up, fixing his blazer.

"Well, I better get going; my friends are probably waiting for me. It's nice to meet you, Yuri!"

"O-oh! Err, y-yes."

Yuri looked at Dean awkwardly.

"I-I mean, I-it's nice to m-meet you too, D-Dean..."

Dean smiles a wide smile before walking off, leaving Yuri alone with her thoughts. As she watched the tall young man walk towards the campus, Yuri finally felt at peace for the first time today. She had not only managed to talk to three people like a normal person, but each of them had convinced her she wasn't human garbage. Monika made her feel at ease with her weird hobbies, Dean had taken interest to her books and Natsuki defended her from her other nasty classmates.

"O-oh no! N-Natsuki!" Yuri suddenly remembered her Biology project. Quickly packing up her things, Yuri hurriedly made her way back to the canteen.

...

"You totally did!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Can you two just please shut the fuck up? Seriously; you're driving me crazy!"

Natsuki huffed in annoyance at her two friends: Twin sisters Maple and Mabel. The two sisters always argued over the slightest thing, and this time, the reason for arguing may be the most trivial ever.

"You ate my fishball!"

"I did not-Natsuki; please tell Mabel that she's being a brat!"

"Natsuki, how about you don't listen to Maple and tell her that she's a fool and a liar!"

"Enough!" Natsuki screamed. The twins turned to face her. "Look, I didn't even see anything, so why the hell are you pushing all of this crap to me? You two are 18 for Christ's sake! Sort it out! And even then, it's just a flippin fishball! Jeez...you two are more insufferable than the guys here!"

"Yeah, but this is serious, Nat! What if I starve to death?"

"Mabel, that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard! Natsuki can you please tell her that?"

Natsuki groaned as she turned back to her phone, trying to drown out her arguing friends. ""Starve to death" Ha! She's so lucky yet she's making such stupid comments..." Natsuki thought to herself as her stomach rumbled.

"Hey, Nat; why aren't you eating?"

Natsuki's body tensed up. Every day she dreaded this question when lunchtime came along: It was something she kept in secret; not even her two friends knew why she wouldn't eat.

"I'm not that hungry and I already ate some snacks earlier..." Natsuki lied. Since she and the twins never shared any classes before lunch, they believed her.

But that wasn't the only secret Natsuki kept from everybody.

"Hey look at that freshman." Maple pointed out. Mabel and Natsuki turned to see a first-year boy with black hair holding a book in his hand, reading it intently. Mabel burst out laughing along with her sister.

"PFFT! He's still reading Manga? What a loser! AHAHAHA!" Mabel chortled.

"I KNOW RIGHT! Who still reads this crap anyway?!" her sister joined in.

Natsuki looked down, trying to hide her teeth gritting. "Y-yeah...it's...pretty immature, isn't it?"

"What the fuck is that title anyway? Biology Bros? What a load of shit!"

"Biology? Oh crap!" Natsuki shot up in her seat. "Girls, I gotta go, I suddenly remembered something." The twins looked at Natsuki as if she did something wrong. Without waiting for a response, Natsuki hurried off.

"Ah, shit. I forgot to tell her where to meet me..." Natsuki groaned. Thankfully, she saw a dash of purple coming up the stairs from the garden.

"Yuri! Hey!" Natsuki ran right in front of Yuri swinging her arms. Yuri had a panicked expression on her face.

"N-Natsuki! I'm so, so sorry! I was eating in the garden and I forgot about our project!"

"Hey, it's fine. I forgot too, but it's too late to continue our project now: Lunch is almost over! I guess we'll have to do it at home and meet up early tomorrow to do it."

Yuri suddenly thought of an idea. "W-why don't we meet at someone's house after school?" she suggested. This was her chance to hopefully make an actual friend, not just a partner for a class project.

"NO!" Natsuki shouted out of nowhere, causing Yuri to jump. Sensing that she had made Yuri uncomfortable, Natsuki looked away. "N-not at my house, at least...I guess we can always do it at your house."

"A-Ah...my house is...n-not available either..." Yuri suddenly remembered all her belongings at home and how...disgusted Natsuki would be if she were to see them. That would ruin any chance of her making a new friend-she'd be too appalled!

"I-I guess we'll go with tomorrow morning, then..." Natsuki said after an awkward silence. "Well, I better go meet back up with my friends... Bye, Yuri."

"B-bye..." Yuri replied with disappointment. This conversation hadn't gone according to plan, but it wasn't over yet. She would still have tomorrow morning to try.

"There you are!" a voice rang out. Yuri looked up and panicked.

"O-oh no..." Yuri's voice was filled with dread. She quickly hurried off, lowering her head as if she were trying to avoid being seen.

"Y-Yuri?" Natsuki turned around, but the shy maiden had vanished. Natsuki shrugged as she turned back to find Maple and Mable standing in front of her. "Oh-Hey guys, what's up?"

"Oh, we were just wondering where you went, is all." Mabel replied as the trio walked to their next class.

...

"Ok, Monika; we're here!" Sayori proclaimed happily as she swung open the door of a vacant classroom.

"Why this classroom, Sayori? It seems like only the seniors use this one."

"Well, not exactly. This one classroom isn't used for anything-at least after school. The seniors only use classrooms 4A to 4D and 4E is more like a spare classroom in case the intake increases." Sayori responded.

Monika looked surprised. "How do you know all these things, Sayori?"

"Well, this is something I don't really tell anyone; Only Mio knows, so if I tell you this, will you promise not to tell anyone?"

Monika looked at Sayori. Her usual cheerful demeanour was still present, but she had a hint of seriousness behind her bright blue eyes. "Okay." Monika replied with a nod. Smiling, Sayori leaned close to Monika.

"Every day during lunch...I don't eat with Mio. She goes out to help her...grandmother...It's not something she wants to talk about, so I don't pressure her, you get that, right?" Monika nodded, still paying attention.

"Well, besides Mio... I don't really have that many other friends. Sure; everyone thinks I'm like super friendly and everything, but I don't really consider them my friends. Friends share their thoughts and secrets, but these people? They just laugh at my clumsiness."

"I get what that's like." Monika agreed, remembering her clique.

"So, yeah. Whenever it's lunch time, I usually order finger food and come up here to eat. I hate eating in the canteen, if I'm being honest; it's too noisy and dirty and it's hard to sit by yourself without looking like a complete loser. I guess you can say this classroom is my special place. That's my secret"

"Is there a reason why you picked this classroom as your special place?" Monika asked, intrigued.

Sayori bit her lip. This was the part of her story that was a no-fly zone. It was like Fort Knox. The cat that the bag couldn't let out. Thankfully, Monika seemed to pick up on her distress and decided to end that conversation right then and there.

"It's ok, Sayori: You don't have to tell me if you're not comfortable, I was just messing around." Monika apologised and much to her relief, Sayori's cheerful nature came back.

"It's fine, Monika! So, what are your thoughts? It's perfect, isn't it? It's got a great view of the school grounds, it's up high so it's less noisy and if we want, we can borrow supplies from the nearby classrooms!"

"I guess, but we still haven't decided on what our club should be." Monika reminded the eager girl.

"Maybe we should-"

Sayori's idea was cut short by the school bell ringing.

"Ahaha...well I guess we'll have to continue our adventure tomorrow." Monika laughed. Sayori smiled back, but it was clear that something wasn't right. "Meet me back here during lunch again, ok?" Monika suggested.

"Sure thing, Monika! But one thing first?"

"Name it."

"Can you maybe help me get back my student pass? I kinda lost it and I think someone took it and put it in the council room."

"Of course! Be more careful next time, though..."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah...you get a move on first; I have some stuff to sort out."

As Monika bid farewell, Sayori headed straight for the windows. Looking out, she had a direct line of sight to the opposite block of classrooms. Her eyes zoomed in on the third floor. As she scanned the various students funnelling in to their classes, one particular student caught her eye. Sayori watched as he walked into his class and disappeared.

The bubbly girl let out a sad sigh as she slowly lowered herself to the ground and sat under the windowsill.

"Oh, Anon. I sure hope your life is going better than mine..."

Sayori rested her head on her arms as she quietly sobbed. Monika's kindness may have felt nice, but Sayori also felt like she had been selfish for taking Monika away from her clique and the chemistry lesson. But more than that, seeing Anon having a normal school life was heartbreaking. Where did their relationship go so wrong? Anon probably didn't even know it, but Sayori missed him dearly.

Suddenly, Sayori sat up. Wiping her eyes with her blazer sleeve, she stood up and looked out of the window.

Determination filled her eyes.

"This ends today." Sayori said out loud to herself as she started right at Anon's classroom. "I'm coming for you, Anon."

...

As the school day finally ends, Anon walked out of his classroom with Hitoshi.

"I'll see you tomorrow, bro." Hitoshi waved as he walked off in a different direction while Anon continued on his.

"What a shitty day..."

"A-Anon..." a voice called out from behind him. Anon stopped dead in his tracks as he slowly turned around to see who it was, but he had a pretty rough guess based on the voice.

Standing in front of him was his childhood friend Sayori. She had a huge toothy smile plastered on her face.

Anon had no idea how to respond. Instead, he kept staring at the carefree girl smiling at him.

After what seemed like an eternity, Sayori finally opened her mouth.

"H-hello, Anon! Long time no see, huh?"

Memories came flooding back to the young man as he finally responded.

"S-Sayori...Hi..."

**End of Chapter Two**


	3. Chapter 3: Parfait

"So, what have you been up to these days?"

"Oh, you know, the usual: Anime, I've been helping out Aunty Aiko at her restaurant now that business's been booming. It's kinda a part-time job too since we're only a year away from University."

"Really? I thought you wanted to be a teacher?"

"Ehehe...well, I still kind of do, but not many people am in the need of tuition and...You know my grades aren't that good, but anyway, can you pass me the fries?"

"Wow, Sayori, you really know how to make a dour situation lighter, don't you?"

"I guess so. What about you, what are you doing in your free time?"

"Well, not much I guess: I'm catching up on One Piece and I've been gaming a ton...Oh come on, what's that look supposed to mean?"

"Anon, come on. Surely you've got something better to do at home. Did you sign up for any electives?"

"Nope; Most of them seem quite boring to me."

"You could always help out with me at Aunty Aiko's restaurant!"

"Ehh, I don't think I'm cut out for cooking; have you seen the food I tried to make during Economics?"

"Yeah, but that was years ago! I'm sure you're a better cook now!"

"Sorry, Sayori; I'll probably be more of a burden than a help."

"You could wash dishes."

"Oh, then definitely not."

"Ehh? Meanie..."

"What? And did you finish my fries?!"

Sayori looked down at her packet of fries and realized that it completely empty.

"UWAH! Y-YOU DIDN'T TELL ME I WAS EATING!" Sayori tried defending herself. Seeing the girl so exasperated Anon couldn't help but laugh.

"Ahaha, its fine, Sayori, but I'm eating your share the next time we order McDonalds, alright?"

"Ehhhhh? Fine..." the energetic girl pouted as the two continued with their burgers in silence. Anon might not have known, but Sayori ecstatic: Not only had she finally reconnected with her old friend, but the reunion wasn't awkward and uncomfortable; it was as if he'd never left.

"Oh!" Sayori said out of nowhere, causing Anon to choke on his drink.

"Gah! –cough cough - GodDAMNit, Sayori – cough cough - look what you've done!"

"Oh, sorry Anon, but this is important! I have an idea of what you can-"

"HACK, COUGH!"

"-Don't interrupt me, Anon! What I was saying was; maybe you could join a club!"

"Ahem, yes sure Sayori, that's nice, can you pass me a napkin?"

"Oh, I'm so happy you've agreed to this, Anon!' said Sayori as she handed Anon some serviettes. "This would be a chance for you to broaden your horizons!"

"Ah, of course, of course. Wow. Thanks for almost killing me, Sayori."

"Hehe! Just think about what I said, alright?"

Anon wiped his mouth as he finally looked back at his old friend. "What did she say? I was too busy trying not to die." He thought. "Oh well, I'd better agree with her anyway."

"Err, yeah. I'll do it if it makes you happy, alright? Now come on, let's go home before our moms worry about us."

"OH! OH! OH! I just got a brilliant idea!" Sayori chirped as Anon started cleaning up. "We should totally go over to your house and play!"

"Play?"

"Yeah! You know, like what we used to do when-" Sayori's enthusiasm faded as she realised what she was about to say. "-we were younger..."

"Sayori, no one says that when they want to HANG OUT. It sounds real baby-like if you ask me-" Anon stopped himself after seeing Sayori's disappointed look. "-but...Sure! You can come over. It'll be like you said-old times!"

"Really?" Sayori exclaimed as her disappointed vanished. "YAY! You're the best, Anon!" she cheered as she wrapped her arms around her friend.

"S-Sayori!" The boy cried out in embarrassment as his face turned red. His hands scrambled to pry Sayori's arms off of him. "Ok, ok; I get it-you can let go now..."

"Hmph-meanie..." muttered Sayori as she reluctantly let go. "Well, what are you waiting for then; let's go!"

"H-hey! You're just gonna leave me here to clean up after you?"

"Last one to your house is a rotten egg!"

Anon sighed as Sayori ran off, leaving him behind with hamburger wrappers and empty cups. "This girl man..." he said to himself shaking his head. "I'll still beat you there, you hear me?"

...

"D-Dad? I-I'm home."

Natsuki carefully opened the front door as she peered inside. Her eyes went straight away to the couch. "Empty...Dad? You home?" Silence greeted the pink-haired girl. Natsuki decided to finally enter the apartment.

"Phew." She sighed as she plopped her schoolbag onto the floor. Immediately her eyes went over to the kitchen. "I hope he at least left me something..." Natsuki said to herself, though with not much confidence. Natsuki entered the kitchen to find unwashed pots and pans still in the sink along with multiple beer bottles lying around the floor. The petite girl gritted her teeth as she began picking up the green bottles, some still containing beer. "Ugh, it smells like shit." she commented as she caught a whiff of the alcohol.

"How the hell can he drink this and NOT vomit?" Disgusted, she threw the bottles into the dustbin. "I'd better clear this before he gets home." Natsuki went over to her sink and opened the cabinet door underneath it. After rummaging around for a few seconds, she emerged with a handful of plastic bags. "This should be enough."

Natsuki walked back to the dustbin and began emptying it into the plastic bags. As the contents poured out, Natsuki's face cringed more and more. "ACK!" Natsuki retched as a slimy, half-eaten chicken wing fell out and into the plastic bag with a sickening "plop".

"WHAT THE FUCK, DAD?! THERE'S MOLD GROWING ON IT!"

After that ordeal, Natsuki decided to take a break. "There'd better be at least SOME food in here..." Natsuki angrily muttered as she opened the fridge door. "Let's see: Beer, beer, ketchup bottle that is probably expired, beer, empty ice tray, cooking oil even though we don't cook, oh; what a surprise: beer!" With a huff, Natsuki slammed the fridge door shut. "Forget it: Break over..." she sighed as she went back to tying up her makeshift trash bags.

"Gasp!"Natsuki's head turned as footsteps shuffled outside the front door. Her eyes grew wide in fear as she hastily gathered the plastic bags and put them next to the dustbin. Key sounds could be heard.

"No no no no no no no..." she pleaded in panic as the door unlocked. A few soft groans followed suit. "Please not yet-I still haven't washed the damn dishes..."

As Natsuki rushed over to the sink, someone walked into the kitchen behind her. Natsuki winced as she slowly turned around.

In her face was a man that was taller than her, but not that much taller. His hair was unkempt and was falling all over his face which had dirty stubble growing on it. He had a pair of deep blue spectacles and behind them, eyes that had "wasted" written all over them. He had a button-down shirt, but part of it was not tucked in and left hanging over his jeans which were stained at the knees and up the thighs. His tie was loosely hanging around his neck and his left shirt collar was folded up. The man took one look at Natsuki before burping and walking back out. The smell of beer reeked from said burp.

"Once you finish the –hic- dishes, go prepare dinner: I'm starving..." the man called out as he sat himself down on the couch and turned on the television.

"Y-yes dad..." Natsuki uttered weakly as tears of relief dripped from her eyes. She turned back to the sink and began scrubbing thee dirty plates.

"Hey Natsuki-" Natsuki's heart skipped a beat. "-do we still have beer in the fridge?"

"Oh thank fucking god..." screamed Natsuki's brain as she let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Y-yes dad, we do. I-I'll pass a bottle to you right now." Natsuki wiped her hands dry before opening the fridge and taking out a beer bottle. "Asahi Super Dry" read the label. Natsuki walked out into the living room. Her father was laid back on the couch with his feet kicked up on the coffee table. The television had the six o'clock news on it.

"H-here you go d-dad..."

The dishevelled man took the bottle from Natsuki's hand without a word. After standing there awkwardly for a few seconds, Natsuki went back to the kitchen.

"Hey-I'll take tired, confused Shinzo over angry, painting-throwing Shinzo any day of the week..." she thought to herself.

After a few minutes in the kitchen, Natsuki apprehensively walked back into the living room.

"Dad...I-I'm going out to buy dinner now...could I have some money to buy us something nice today?"

Shinzo slowly turned to face his daughter. His eyes were on the verge of closing.

"Suurreee, just...anything...my WaLLeT is right –sniff- therrrree..." Shinzo pointed to the dining table. As Natsuki quickly walked over to the table, sure enough, his wallet was lying there. It was a brown leather wallet, though most of it had been worn down and some of the stitching had come undone. Opening it up, Natsuki opened the compartment for the notes and took out 1000 Yen. "This should be enough..." she thought to herself. As she closed the note compartment, her eyes landed on her father's identity card. "Tamura, Shinzo" it read. She took one look at the image of the man on the identity card and looked back to her father on the couch. In contrast, the man in the photo was smiling and his hair was neatly combed. His eyes weren't as heavy and his chin was clear of any hair. Of course, this was many years ago, way before...

Tears filled Natsuki's eyes as she thought back to her childhood. Shaking her head, she decided to leave before her father got angry.

"I'm heading off now, bye dad!" she said as she hastily opened the front door. Shinzo merely grunted, but by then, Natsuki had long since left the apartment.

...

"How did you beat meeeeeee?!"

"I told you I would reach my OWN HOUSE first. Now stop whining, Sayori..."

"Hmph...you couldn't even let me win just once, could you?"

"Sayori-you made me clean up after you! I'd say I deserved to win."

"Uwaah! Don't make me feel baaaaddd..." Sayori continued whining.

"Haha, alright, alright, next time we go out, I'll pay for your meal, deal?"

At the sound of food, Sayori's eyes and ears perked up. "Really?! It's a deal!" While Anon turned to unlock his front door, a thought came across Sayori's mind. "Next time we go out...does that mean-?"

"Oh, hello Sayori! It's been such a long time!" Sayori whirled around to see a woman with long black hair. Her eyes were dark brown and she had long, lush eyelashes. She had a dark-green coloured shirt on her along with a pair of jean shorts. Her nose was also small but sharp, similar to Anon's.

"Mrs. Kazuma, Hi!" Sayori giggled with glee as she ran up to hug her. Anon's mother looked at him with a bemused smile on her face before reciprocating Sayori's hug.

"So, Mom, Sayori wanted to come over and hang out for a while, would that be okay? I'm sorry for not telling you sooner."

"Don't worry about a thing. Sayori, you're always welcome to our home, alright?" Lisa gave Sayori a warm smile, causing Sayori's face to redden.

"Aww, you're the best, Mrs. Kazuma! Come on, Anon, let's go!"

Anon and Sayori walked into the spacious house and up the stairs to Anon's room.

"Wow, I just smelled your Mom's cooking and it's pretty good! I wish I could stay here for dinner."

"Sayori, YOUR Mom is a way better cook-"

"I heard that!" Lisa shouted from the kitchen.

"-no offense, Mom! Still, though; I would long to taste your Mom's savoury Miso Soup. When was the last time I tried it? Grade Four?"

"You never tried it..." Sayori mumbled softly.

"What was that?" Anon raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing!" Sayori replied, returning to her usual cheery self. As the two entered Anon's room, Anon carefully set his schoolbag; a sturdy blue backpack, onto his desk. Sayori dropped hers; a pink sling bag, onto the floor.

"So, what do you want to do?"

"I guess we could start with homework. I have this Biology assignment that is due tomorrow morning, but I'm almost done, so I guess I can do it later. What subjects do you take again?"

"The main three and Social Studies, why?"

"Do you take Chemistry?"

"Nope: It's too formulaic and honestly, I'm not good with all the mixing and reactions and all that. Maths is enough for me."

"Who's your Japanese teacher?"

"Mr Yamamoto, why?"

"Did he give you any homework?"

"Err, not really; he just asked the class to read up on the next chapter."

"Aww man. I've got a bunch of homework but you don't have the same practices. What am I supposed to do now?"

"Hey, don't worry, alright? I'll try my best to help you for Japanese. For Chemistry, I guess I can lend you my Mom's old textbooks?"

"Nah, the syllabus probably changed like a ga-zillion times by now, but thanks for the help; I really appreciate it!"

"Don't mention it, Sayori. You get started first; I've got some washing up to do." Anon said as he grabbed a light-blue towel from his desk.

"Anon! Your desk is super untidy! Do you not clean it?"

"Jeez, Sayori! You sound exactly like my Mom!"

"Ehh? Meanie...I was just trying to help!"

"I know, I know. I'll tidy it up later if it makes you feel better, alright?"

"Would you promise me you'll at least sort your clothes?"

Anon smirked. "Alright. I'll do at least that: You have my promise."

...

The streets simmered under the warm glow of the setting sun. Leaves blew across the grey roads with the calm late afternoon wind. On the sidewalk, a pink-haired girl was aimlessly walking around, peering at street signs and the handful of shops neatly packaged in rows alongside them.

"Wow, how long has it been since I've been to this area? They totally redesigned it!"

Natsuki was confused. In her quest to buy her and her father a nice dinner, she had gotten herself lost in an area she hadn't been to since she was young. Now, the streets and shops were completely different, but she hoped at least one of them stayed the same.

"E-excuse me, officer..." Natsuki approached a tall police officer with blonde hair. The young man turned around and immediately Natsuki's face turned red. He had the most beautifully blue eyes that sparkled. His nose was sharp and he had a strong jaw line. As he turned to face her, Natsuki realised just how muscular his arms were. His chest was hulking out of his tight white uniform and even tighter deep blue vest.

"I-I-I..." the star struck girl stammered. The police officer responded with a hearty laugh.

"Hahaha, there's no need to be nervous, young lady, do you need to know something?"

"Oh erm, Hahaha..." Natsuki laughed nervously, "Do you know where the Miso Kitchen is?"

"Oh! You're talking about Aunty Aiko's restaurant, aren't you? It's down this road and to the left and it's the second shop; next to the provision store. It has bright pink banners; you can't miss it."

"Pink banners?" Natsuki looked intrigued. "Since when did that store have pink banners? The last time I remember; it was all brown and black."

"That's because Aunty Aiko now also sells fruit parfait and it seems to have taken off within the younger residents here. I'll admit: It was pretty good when I tried."

"Parfait?" Natsuki's ears perked up at that. "Hmm..." Natsuki rummaged around in her wallet. She dug out two 500 Yen coins. "Maybe I can get Dad something a little extra..." She turned back to the police officer.

"Well, I'd better get going then. Thanks for your help!" Natsuki said as she batted her eyelids. "I'm Natsuki, by the way."

"James. It's really nice to meet you!" the charming young man stuck out his hand, to which Natsuki firmly shook it.

"Nice to meet you, Officer James." Natsuki responded with a flirty smile. James smiled back with an equally flirtatious grin on his face. "I'll see you around, Natsuki." James watched as the pink-haired girl headed down the street before walking off himself.

...

"Miso Kitchen-this should be it!" Natsuki pushed open the glass doors to the cute little restaurant. Inside, she was pleasantly surprised to see that the restaurant was in a good condition: The tables were all nicely cleaned, the walls looked like the paint was still fresh and the entire interior just had an extremely homely feel to it. A few customers were chatting at a few of the tables, but the restaurant looked empty for the most part. Towards the back of the dining area, an elderly woman was hunched over, dusting the floor.

"S-sorry, err...Maam? Miss? This is the Miso Kitchen, right?" The old woman slowly looked towards Natsuki, making her nervous. "I-I was just asking because there doesn't seem to be many people here."

"You are in the right place, dear! It's just an hour until dinner service is ready, so not many people are here yet. Come in, come in!" the old woman welcomed Natsuki with open arms, but the cute girl still looked rather flustered as all the patrons turned to look at her.

"No need to be nervous, young lady." One of the patrons said from his seat. "Aunty Aiko here's the nicest woman we know!" A few of the other diners agreed. After a moment of hesitation, Natsuki finally decided to walk into the cosy little restaurant. The diners all smiled at her, putting her at ease. At long last, she reached the counter.

"What would you like to have, dear?"

"Oh, I would like two set Bs and two strawberry parfait cups please." Natsuki ordered. Aunty Aiko smiled back and hit a few keys on a touch screen pad. A few minutes later, a scrawny chef walked out of the kitchen with four plastic bowls; two with rice and two with the signature miso soup.

"Thanks Naoya." Aunty Aiko said to the skinny little chef, who nodded in return and returned to the kitchen. At the side of the counter, a young waitress is preparing Natsuki's parfait. Just looking at the strawberry yoghurt getting poured in with the mixed nuts is enough to make Natsuki's mouth water. After the waitress topped both cups of parfait with whipped cream, she handed both cups to Aunty Aiko, who placed them in a box filled with ice. "This should keep them from melting while you make your trip home." Aunty Aiko explained. Natsuki whipped out her wallet and took out Shinzo's 1000 Yen note and her two 500 yen coins.

"Thank you so much dear!" Aunty Aiko smiled as Natsuki handed her the money, making her face turn slightly red. "Don't mind me asking, but who are you feeding with all that food?"

"Oh, it's for me and my dad..." Natsuki mumbled.

"Oh, you're such a kind and filial girl! Your father must be very proud of you!"

Natsuki's fists clenched. "Y-yeah...he is..."

"What is your name dear?" Thankfully, Aunty Aiko had changed the subject.

"Natsuki."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Natsuki! Do come again some time!"

With that, Natsuki waved goodbye to the patrons and Aunty Aiko and left the small establishment. "Hmm...Six o'clock. I doubt he'll be that drunk in the span of forty-five minutes." Natsuki commented as she checked her watch.

...

"It's so nice having you over for dinner, Sayori! It's really been a long time! Did you ask permission to stay over, though?" Lisa asked as she scooped a ladle full of soup for Sayori.

"Ehehe...thank Mrs. Kazuma; I really appreciate it." Sayori blushed. "Mom's eating with her colleagues today, so she allowed me to crash with you guys for dinner.

"Speaking of which, how's Midori doing?"

"My Mom's doing great! Maybe a bit tired, but she still manages to spend time with me..." Sayori says that last part with less enthusiasm than the start of her sentence. However, that short span of sadness is quickly replaced with a look of glee. "Oh! Oh! Next week, we should all eat dinner at my house! We can all get together again! My Mom's gonna cook her special Miso Soup-oh it's going to be awesome!" Lisa and Anon both smiled at Sayori's enthusiasm. After Anon stopped talking to Sayori three years ago, it felt great seeing her bright smile and blissful innocence again. Something about Sayori's face when she's happy really warmed Lisa's and Anon's heart.

"Sure. I'll go talk to Midori about it." Lisa suggested.

"YAY!" Sayori cheered. "We're going to have so much fun, right Anon?"

"Whatever you say, Sayori."

"Ehh? Come on, Anon! Why aren't you excited about it?"

"I-I am...I just...don't react to excitement the same way as you do, Sayori."

"Yeah, you're rarely excited about anything nowadays, young man; only pretty girls can move you just a little bit." Lisa commented with a smirk, causing Anon to blush.

"M-mom...not in front of Sayori..." Anon said while rubbing his hair. Lisa and Sayori both laughed at the boy's exasperated look. With that, the trio dug into their meal.

"Mmm...This fish is shhooo good, Mrs. Kazuma! You're a weally talented cook!" Sayori said with her mouth full, causing Anon to giggle a bit.

"Oh, you're giving me too much credit Sayori; Midori's a much better cook than I am."

"Can't argue with that!" Anon playfully said, earning an annoyed glare from his mother. This time, it was Sayori's turn to laugh.

"That's funny-my Mom says the same thing about your cooking: I guess there's at least one thing our Mom's are equally good at; being humble!"

"Sayori, you really see the best in every situation, don't you?"

"Well, sometimes we just gotta be happy! You should learn that sometime, Anon!"

"H-Hey!"

Sayori and Lisa burst out laughing. "Wow, she got you good, son! I assume there's no coming back from that one!"

"Oh, just you wait Mom; I'll get her back someday."

"Oh, it's on!"

...

"Dad? I'm back!"

Natsuki opened the front door to the sound of the television on the same news channel from before she left the house.

"Dad? I bought us dinner like you asked!"

No response. As Natsuki walked further into the shabby apartment, she could see Shinzo lying on the couch with beer cans everywhere and one still in his hand. He was as dead as a doorknob and she could already smell the stench coming off of him. Natsuki rolled her eyes as she set their dinner down on the dining table.

"I bought ice-cream too...if you even care..." Natsuki added on, looking at the ice box Aunty Aiko gave her. "I should probably keep these in the freezer-he is probably too tired to eat it."

As she headed to the kitchen to store the parfait, Natsuki caught movement from the corner of her eye. She spun around to see Shinzo slowly stirring in his deep sleep.

"D-dad...I-I brought y-you d-dinner..." Natsuki's voice trembled. The minute she looked into his eyes, she knew this wasn't the tired and indifferent man from an hour ago.

This was much worse.

"Goddamn it..." he let out a low growl as he stumbled to his feet. Natsuki timidly stood in her place as Shinzo slowly made her way over to her.

"It's...it's so fucking LATE!" Shinzo roared, making Natsuki jump. Tears were starting to form in her eyes. The man towered over her like a giant, making her feel small and completely worthless.

"I'm...so...goddamn...HUNGRY. MY STOMACH IS PUCNHING ALL MY OTHER ORGANS! CAN'T YOU DO ANYTHING RIGHT?!"

"I-I'm s-sorry d-dad..." Natsuki choked in between sobs. "I-I won't be so late again-I promise!"

"You promise, you promise...BUT YOU DON'T KEEP THEM! YOU SAY YOU'LL GET ME DINNER EARLY, BUT IT'S SIX THIRTY! HOW DO YOU EXPECT ME TO EAT AT THIS TIME?!"

Natsuki had no idea why Shinzo was so angry, but she didn't say anything. This was already as bad as it could get. As she quietly sobbed, Shinzo looked down at Natsuki's hands.

"What is this?"He asked. Before Natsuki could answer, he snatched the ice box out of Natsuki's trembling hands.

"Parfait..? What the fuck is this?"

"I-I-I ...thought you would-"

"YOU WASTED MY MONEY ON SOME STUPID ICE-CREAM?!" Shinzo barked into Natsuki's face, making her scream. The poor girl fell back onto the floor as the man loomed over her. "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU THINKING?! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW HARD I WORKED TO EARN THIS? AND YOU'RE JUST WASTING IT ON-THIS STUPID JUNK FOOD!" Shinzo yelled as her threw the ice box at Natsuki, hitting her right in the stomach. Natsuki groaned, clutching her stomach.

"YOU'RE JUST A GREEDY, GOOD FOR NOTHING BITCH! NOW GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!"

Natsuki tearfully ran into her room holding her box of parfait. Slamming the door behind her, she sank slowly to the ground and wept. Tears were fully streaming out of her puffy eyes and down her cheeks. She slowly lowered herself to the ground and put her head between her knees. Her entire body was now completely shaking after that ordeal. As she lifted up her shirt, her torso was already beginning to bruise slightly. Natsuki groaned in pain as her hand rubbed over that area.

Why had this happened? How did it ever come to this? Things were so good before, but now? Natsuki wondered all these things everyday: Why did she do to make him hate her so much? How could someone find joy in hurting another person? How sick and sadistic could that person be?

Natsuki slowly curled up into a ball on the floor; her stomach still throbbing after that hard hit. Her father was still screaming at nothing in the hallway, so she would have to wait until tomorrow to find medical supplies in the toilet.

As she slowly lifted the cover of the ice box, she noticed that the parfait had spilled out of the cups and into the box.

"Well...I guess it's better than nothing..." Natsuki dejectedly sighed as she drank the melted parfait out of the box like a slushie.

Why couldn't she just have a good dinner for once?

...

"That was such a good dinner, Mrs. Kazuma!" Sayori cheerfully said as Lisa and Anon walked her out of their front door.

"Don't mention it, Sayori. You're more than welcome to drop by anytime-as long as Midori's ok with it." Lisa said as she hugged Sayori warmly. As the two women let go of each other, Sayori turned to Anon. Under the dim porch light, Anon could make out a light blush on Sayori's face.

"Ehehe...thank you for having me over, Anon." Sayori said shyly as she held onto her left elbow. Anon tried to think of something witty to say, but for some reason, he couldn't think of anything. In fact, he realised that his heart was starting to beat a little faster. What is happening?

"Err, o-of course, I-err...would love to have you over anytime, Sayori." Anon nervously said, rubbing the back of his neck. He didn't realise at the time, but his cheeks were blushing too. All of a sudden, Sayori threw her arms around Anon, causing him to blush more profusely.

"S-Sayori!"

"I missed you so much..." Sayori said softly into Anon's ear, on the verge of tears. Anon had no idea how to respond, but he tried his best anyway.

"Hey, hey, hey...there's no need to get all soap-opera-ish on me-I'm still here! And like I said, I'd love to have you over at anytime: Just, don't leave me with the burgers and fries again, alright?"

Sayori let out a small smile as she finally released her childhood friend. "No promises!" she giggled, causing Lisa to laugh as well.

"Well, I better get going; Mom's probably done with her business dinner by now. Bye, Mrs. Kazuma! Bye, Anon!" The mother and son pair bid farewell as Sayori happily danced across the road.

"Mom? I'm back!" Sayori happily greeted Midori as she burst through the front door. From the looks of things, it appeared that Midori too had just reached home following her business dinner; as she set her purse on the dining table.

"Welcome back, my cinnamon bun! How was dinner with Anon and Lisa?"

"It was great! Mrs. Kazuma cooked us a yummy meal of miso soup and her steamed fish, though it can't ever compare to yours-no offense..."

"Oh, don't say such things, bun-Lisa's a great cook too, and besides; we know which one us really is the best miso cook, now don't we?"

Sayori had a puzzled expression on her face. "We do? Who?"

"Aunty Aiko, of course!"

"Oh, yeah...ehehe..."

After Sayori and Lisa had their showers, both women got dressed and met back at the living room. The television was turned on to a random news channel.

"So, tell me; how is Anon? I've haven't seen him a while and I hope he's doing fine."

"He's doing great! I saw him for the first time in ages today and it's like he never changed! He's still watching his old anime and wrestling and all that, but then again, so do I."

"Has he grown taller?"

"By a lot! We were the same height going into elementary school, but he's a head and a half above me now...it's actually a little embarrassing..."

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about, Sayori. Anyway, what courses is he taking? Does he share any with you?"

"Actually Mom, we have a completely different subject combination. He's a physics student and I'm taking Biology. We both have Maths, but his is combined in the second and third periods while I'm having Chemistry practical. He's also taking Arts and we have different Japanese teachers."

"Oh, that's a shame. How's his studies?"

"Ehehe, not so good, but now that we've reconnected, I'm going to try and motivate him!" Sayori said happily. However, Midori gave her daughter a stern look.

"Sayori...your results aren't exactly good either. I know I said to not focus too much on studies, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't put in effort either."

"I'm sorry Mom, but the lessons right now are really demanding! I still have so much homework undone; most of which is due tomorrow and I also need to help Aunty Aiko out!" Sayori lied; that wasn't the only reason why she was struggling in class.

"Well, I trust you, dear. And I trust that you know what's right for yourself. Just make sure you don't negate your studies too much while focusing on others, alright? Don't make the same mistakes I did."

"I know, Mom. By the way, Mrs. Kazuma suggested we all come to our house next for dinner! Can we let them come over pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease?"

"Ok, ok, calm down Sayori; of COURSE I'll gladly have them over: They're family! Besides: it's been, what, five, six, years since they've last come here?" Sayori's face fell.

"Erm, Mom? They err...actually haven't been over to our house, not both of them at the same time, at least. We never actually had dinner together after Dad..." Sayori stopped herself from continuing after seeing Midori's sad smile.

"It's ok, Sayori. I'm not mad at you for bringing this up: Haru and I, we...never really got along that well and I had to end things once I saw signs of things going downhill." Midori noticed Sayori's despondent look on her face and decided to lighten the mood again. "Anyways, what date do you have in mind? Are they free next week?" Thankfully, it seemed that Sayori's mood took a 180.

"Date? Free?"

"Haha, yes dear." Midori couldn't stop herself from laughing. "Do you know when they would like to have dinner over?"

"Whoops...I got so excited that I forgot to ask them when they would like to come over...Ehehe..."

"Oh, don't worry so much, dear; you can always ask Anon tomorrow. Speaking of which, it's getting late; you should probably get some sleep now."

"But Mom-it's only nine." Sayori informed her mother after looking at the clock.

"Yes, but I don't want you oversleeping again-remember how your conduct grade dropped to "fair" after you got into detention for being late one too many times?"

"Oh yeah..." Sayori let out a fake smile. "...you're right, Mom-I'll go get some sleep."

After brushing her teeth, Sayori climbed into her white bed and snuggled up with her stuffed cow. Midori laughed as she lifted Sayori's yellow sheets and gently tucked her in. "Aren't you getting too old for Mr Cow?"

"NO! I love Mr Cow!" Sayori blushed.

"Alright, dear, sleep tight."

"Goodnight Mom!"

"Goodnight, my little cinnamon bun."

...

"Ow..."

Natsuki opened her eyes as she lay there on the stone cold floor. The sun was shining through her blinds and into her room. Her room was spinning around her and her head was throbbing.

"Kshh...AH!" Natsuki let out a sharp inhale as a burst of pain shot through her head as she tried moving. As she moved her eyes around the room, she was relieved to see her door was still closed.

"So he didn't come in to beat me up further; Dad of the week guys!" Natsuki said cynically to herself. Trying to hoist herself up again, Natsuki moved her skinny arms under her and tried to push herself up. Despite not weighing that much, she found out that they simply didn't have enough energy to do so.

"God-damnit; are you kidding me right now?" Natsuki angrily sighed as her arms gave way under her weight. Her eyes scanned over to her alarm clock. "0811" it read, in bright red light.

"So I still have some time...I guess I'll sit here and let my energy come back." Natsuki suggested to herself. "Wow, that's a GREAT idea, Natsuki, you're so smart-things Dad has never said to me in a long ass time..."

After talking to herself for a while, Natsuki decided that enough was enough and tried to up on her feet again. Thankfully, she seemed to have regained some strength as she slowly and painfully managed to hoist herself up.

"OW-FINALLY!" she shouted.

Natsuki hobbled out of her room. The smell of beer lingered around, but there was no sign of Shinzo. "Hard at work, I see..." Natsuki scoffed. As she entered the toilet, she opened the medicine cabinet and took out a bottle of painkillers and some rubbing cream. After popping two pills into her mouth, she took off her white shirt to apply the cream. A large bruise had already formed.

"Here goes nothing..."

Natsuki scooped some cream with her finger and took a deep breath. "NGHH!" Natsuki winced through gritted teeth as she rubbed the cream over her bruise. After rubbing for a good minute, she grabbed her school uniform and threw it on.

"No breakfast-what a surprise." She sarcastically said as she threw on her blazer, making sure her other bruises weren't as obvious. Walking over to her schoolbag, she noticed something sticking out of it. It was her biology textbook.

"Oh crap! Yuri! Oh god-I haven't even started my part yet! Maybe I can still make it before assembly."

Natsuki bolted out of the front door and headed straight for the lift. "08-18" read her watch. "I still have time, I still have time..." Natsuki said to herself in an attempt to calm her nerves.

In a stroke of luck, the lift landing was empty and it went straight down without making stops at any floor. Natsuki burst out of the lift as soon as the doors opened and made a break for the school. Natsuki may not be that well-built, but she was a fast runner. Within five minutes, she had reached the outer-gate of her high school, albeit accompanied with heavy pants and sweat raining down her neck, staining her uniform.

"Good morning. I see you're finally on time." Kouichi said to her at the gate with a fake smile smacked on his face.

"Yeah, good morning... dickhead..." Natsuki muttered as she let out an even faker smile. "What a fucking loser...now-where would Yuri be?" Natsuki thought of her awkward conversation with Yuri the previous day and how she was eating in the garden. Maybe she could be there right now?

Natsuki used her remaining energy to sprint to the garden as fast as possible. Sure enough, Yuri was at one of the benches writing something down. "Please be the homework, please be the homework"

"Hey Yuri! Are you doing our homework?" The timid girl jumped, but she quickly settled down once she saw who had called her. "O-oh, h-hi N-Natsuki...erm, yes-I am doing our homework. You took a while to get here so I decided to start first-n-not that I'm saying you were late or anything!"

"Nah, its fine-I had some stuff to do as well. So, how much have you done? Can I see it?"

"S-sure..." Yuri gingerly slid the drawing paper over to Natsuki. As Natsuki scanned over her paper, her eyes widened. After looking at it for a good two minutes, Natsuki set the paper down. By now, Yuri's face had gone completely red and she was hiding behind her curtain of hair.

"I-I have such terrible handwriting." Yuri stated in embarrassment.

"Are you kidding?! This is great!"

"B-but you took so long to read it..." Yuri continued, still unsure about Natsuki's compliment.

"Well, yeah-b-but that was because you wrote a lot of stuff!" Natsuki quickly shot down her own compliment. "It wasn't because I was admiring it or anything!" This had become all too familiar with Yuri. "And you know what-I can do it too-just watch!" Natsuki took out a blue marker and started to write in Yuri's cursive, but she quickly gave up after her hand started hurting. Yuri couldn't help but giggle at Natsuki's futile effort.

"W-what are you laughing at?!" Yuri quickly covered her mouth, but ended up covering her entire face.

"O-oh my goodness...I-I'm so sorry!" she hastily apologised.

"Lighten up, Yuri: I was only teasing...jeez..." Yuri timidly looked at Natsuki. She had a big smile on her face, but it was genuine and something about it made Yuri feel at ease. "...anyway, this isn't going to work, but I'll try my best to finish my part and we can do a bit before class starts too. Sound good?"

"Yes. That sounds good." Yuri replied.

"Noticed that?" Natsuki suddenly said while scribbling down her notes onto the paper.

"Noticed what?" Yuri raised an eyebrow.

"You didn't stutter this time! Actually both times!"

"Oh, oh my..."

"I'm proud of you, Yuri!" Natsuki happily said, causing Yuri's cheeks to flush red in embarrassment. Natsuki could see a small smile emerge on her face, making her smile in return.

...

"Well, that's all I can do for now." Natsuki said as the bell for morning assembly rang. "I'll finish the rest of this before Mrs. Chen arrives, alright?

"Alright...erm...Natsuki?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you like to...walk to the parade square with me?" Yuri nervously fiddled with her hair.

"What are you talking about-of course I would! Come on Yu-" Yuri's eyes suddenly filled up with fear.

"A-actually, I-I have stuff to do that I just forgotten! I need to go now, so...s-see you!" With that, Yuri quickly dismissed herself and rushed off.

"Hey Nat!" a voice came from behind Natsuki, startling her.

"Oh. It's just you two. Jeez! Could you have maybe NOT sneaked up on me?" Natsuki whirled around to find Mabel and Maple walking up to her.

"Sorry Nat." The twins speak in unison. "Jinx. Jinx again!"

"My god, you two are childish as shit!" Natsuki scoffed with annoyance.

"No-you know who's childish? That guy over there!" Maple pointed to a guy with light brown hair. Natsuki instantly recognized him.

"You mean Kei? My table partner? I mean; yeah, he's an idiot, but what makes you think he's childish?"

"L-look at what's in his hand!" Mabel noted, trying to suppress a laugh. Natsuki craned her neck further to see what exactly Kei was holding, but she immediately shrank back once she got an eyeful of that decorative cover.

"It's freakin' Manga! Nothing's more immature than reading that shit at this age!" Maple laughed with her sister. All the while Natsuki was suppressing the urge to smack both of them in the face.

"Y-yeah...Kei is a pretty stupid guy, huh?" Natsuki said softly. "Stupid is an understatement, Natsuki-and you said he's your table partner? How the hell do you manage to sit next to him and not kill yourself?" Mabel joked.

"Oh I do-I do feel like killing myself every time I'm next to him!" Natsuki said, causing Maple and Mabel to burst out laughing. "...but not for that reason, jerks..." the petite girl continued, although much softer. Luckily, Maple and Mabel were too busy laughing to pick up on what she said.

"Come on, let's get to assembly."

...

The first half of school went by relatively easy for Natsuki: She handed her biology project on time, economics was boring but she kept awake, but that took most of her energy away. Thankfully, it was lunch time and she could finally get something to eat and refuel.

"I guess I'll find the two Manga-haters..." Natsuki said to herself as she stood in line at a snack vending machine behind three girls who were chatting amongst themselves. "Oh-It's just Fumi and her two lackeys Monika and Kisami. Wonder what they're up to." While waiting, Natsuki decided to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"So I'm thinking of starting a new club-would you two like to come and help me start it?" Monika asked. Natsuki was trying her best not to laugh at her ridiculously large white bow.

"Pfft...What the hell kind of bow is that? How do the other two take her seriously?"

"Depends." Fumi said. "Who's in it and what's it about?" Natsuki wasn't impressed. "Seriously? What the hell kind of response is that? "Depends"?! Was there a more monotonous way you could have said that?!" Monika seemed to have agreed with Natsuki's sentiments as her face got a little red.

"Ahaha, well...we currently have one other member: You all know Sayori, right?" Natsuki was taken aback. THAT Sayori? "Wow. She's in the same club as Monika? How the hell did they even meet? I would have loved to have seen that first meeting."

"Eww. No thanks already." Fumi flatly stated. "That girl rubs me the wrong way. She's just so happy about everything and I'm like, so depressed every day, so her stupid carefree attitude just pisses me off!"

"Wow." Natsuki thought. "What a fucking bitch! I don't even like Sayori all that much and even I think that's going too far. Sorry you're so miserable all the time, Fumi." The pink-haired girl looked back to Monika, who had a look of sadness on her face. "Something's up with her..." Natsuki thought.

"Oh, don't be like that, Fumi." Kisami, the tallest of the three, chided her friend. "There's nothing wrong with being optimistic-you should learn that once in a while." Natsuki nearly chuckled at Kisami's burn while Fumi shot her friend an annoyed look. Kisami bent down to take her packet of chips from the vending machine. "Well, we got our food, let's go."

"Actually girls, I have some things to attend to. You two go ahead first; I'll catch up." Monika quickly dismisses herself from the scene while Fumi and Kisami shrugged before leaving as well.

As the girls left the vending machine, Natsuki stepped up to it. Nothing seemed to be affordable for her, until her eyes caught the sight of a small packet of vegetable crackers at the bottom. "What a variety of affordable options..." she joked as she took out her...

Natsuki's heart skipped a beat. She felt around her skirt. Nothing. She checked her blazer pockets. Nothing. She dug into her schoolbag.

Nothing.

By now, Natsuki was panicking. Sweat was pouring out from everywhere and tears were starting to form in her eyes. She looked back at the vending machine. The packet of vegetable crackers sat there, almost as if it were taunting her. Fighting back her tears, Natsuki walked away from the vending machine with clenched fists. "There are still too many people here...I'll have to wait until they disperse before I can do my thing..."

Unfortunately, there were many people loitering around the vending machine and Natsuki quickly grew impatient. "The closest vending machine is the senior's block and they're all having lunch here. No one should be able to see me..." Natsuki said to herself in an attempt to take her mind off her rumbling stomach. "I should look there first."

As Natsuki trudged on to the senior's block, she could feel herself getting weaker with every step. The walk from the cafeteria past the parade square and the science block took a mere four minutes, but to Natsuki it felt like four hours. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she hauled herself up the stairs and into the science block. The vending machine was now only a few steps away!

Natsuki looked up in determination. This was it! She could practically see the snacks beckoning to her; cheering her on. With a deep breath, Natsuki pushed on. Fifty more meters...forty more meters-the food was literally right there...thirty more meters-Natsuki could make out the individual brands by now...twenty more meters-the soft whir of the vending machine could be heard...ten more meters.

Suddenly, Natsuki began to feel faint. Her knees grew weak as she held onto a pillar for support.

"I'm...so...close..." Natsuki tried walking forward, but her vision was starting to fade as her eyes started drooping.

Five more meters. Her dimming vision could make out the prices of each snack...

...but it was too late. Natsuki's knees buckled under her weight and she fell to the ground.

...

"Thanks for lending me some of your money, Monika!"

"Don't mention it, Sayori."

"Gosh I can't believe it-we're going to be starting our very own club! Oh my god-this is going to be so exciting! We're going to have so much fun-oh I just know it Monika!"

"Sayori, I don't mean to be rude, but we haven't even thought of what club we're going to run yet. Maybe we should settle the basic stuff first before moving on to the fun stuff, huh?"

"Well, I'm getting a snack first-we can discuss this later at the classroom. And besides, it's not going to be a hard task anyway: You can bring all your popular friends to join our club."

"Yeah...friends..."

"Oh oh! Can I be vice-president? Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease?"

"But we haven't even-ah sure whatever you say, Sayori." Monika let out a defeated sigh.

"YAY! Oh you're the BEST Monika! Oh this club hasn't even started and it's already on a roll!"

"Sayori."

"You're gonna get YOUR friends, I'm gonna get MINE,"

"Sayori?"

"We're gonna buy snacks, we're gonna have sleepovers every weekend-"

"Sayori!" Monika shouted, causing Sayori to jump out of her skin.

"UWAH! Hey! What was that for?!"

Monika pointed at the vending machine over in the distance. There was a girl lying in front of it.

"O-oh my god!" Sayori cried. The two girls immediately rushed over to the vending machine. The girl lay there; motionless. She had pink hair and two red ribbons tying her twin-tails up. She was rather short, even shorter than Sayori. The frightened girl immediately recognised her.

"N-NATSUKI! A-ARE YOU OKAY?" Sayori shook the girl, but there was no response. Sayori looked over to Monika who had an equally frightful expression in her emerald eyes.

"M-Monika? W-what are we going to do?" The brunette had just as a hard time speaking as Sayori. However, she quickly regained her composure.

"Hand me your water bottle-now!" Sayori did as she was told and handed Monika her red water bottle, which Monika used to pour water all over Natsuki. To both girls' relief, the petite girl seemed to stir slightly. Sayori immediately rushed to her side with tears of relief in her eyes.

"N-Natsuki! Can you hear me?"

"C-can I have some p-parfait..?" Natsuki blurted out, still in a daze. Sayori looked back to Monika, who had taken some ointment out of her purse. "This should help her get her bearings."

Monika waved a finger full of ointment in front of Natsuki's nose and the pink-haired girl quickly snapped out of her trance. "S-Sayori?! M-Monika?! W-what are you two doing?!"

Natsuki angrily pushed the two of them away as she got up on her feet.

"What the hell is going on?!"

**End of Chapter Three**


	4. Chapter 4: Afterimage

"Thank you; both of you, for coming to my symposium, did you have a good time?"

"Of course we did, Doctor Commings! Hearing you talk about the wonders of Literature really made me inspired to write my own stories!"

"Me too! When I grow up, I want to be a world famous author just like you!"

"Oh that's wonderful, girls! Is there anything else I can be of service?"

"Yes please! Do you mind signing my copy of "Another Feather" for me?"

"Of course, young lady! I would be offended if you didn't ask me! Now, what are your names?"

Yuri stood impatiently in line behind two girls who were slightly younger than her. She had went to a symposium held by world renown author and poet Aloysius Commings and now, with the symposium over, Yuri was lucky enough to get a spot to meet the man himself. She had been queuing up since 10:30 in the morning and it was approaching Noon. She had long since finished the provided refreshments and her stomach was starting to rumble, but at least she was now just one spot away from meeting her idol.

"Oh my gosh-thank you so much Doctor Commings!"

"It's my pleasure, girls! I hope to see you two at my next meet-and-greet."

As the two giggling girls left the queue, Yuri quickly walked up to the small booth that had been set up. The good doctor sat there, writing some stuff down on a small notepad. He was a handsome, middle-aged man with a large pair of midnight black glasses on his face. His hair was neatly combed and his chin was well shaven. He was wearing a velvety black suit and his black and blue striped tie was well tied around his neck. He looked no older than Yuri's own father. As he looked up to see Yuri, a welcoming smile emerged on his face, getting rid of any nervousness Yuri had stored inside of her while waiting.

"Well good afternoon, young lady" Doctor Commings greeted the shy maiden. "Thank you for coming to my symposium; I really appreciate it!" Yuri blushed as the charming doctor smiled at her.

"Oh, no-thank **you**, Doctor Commings; you're the one who's inspired me to write my own poems and I was hoping you could sign this for me!" Yuri presented Doctor Commings with her copy of his best-selling book, "The Portrait of Markov".

"Hey, I know that book!" Doctor Commings joked, causing both of them to giggle. "Of course I would sign it; may I know your name?"

"Yuri."

"Yuri. That's a beautiful name." Yuri blushed at the Doctor's compliment. "Well, there you go Yuri." The man said as he finished signing the second page. As he started handing Yuri's book back to her, Yuri suddenly spoke up.

"A-actually, Doctor Commings, I-I would like to speak with you after this whole event. Y-you don't mind, r-right?"

"Of course I don't, but many people also want to see me personally after the event is over, so maybe you could come to the optional open dialogue session later on at thr-"

"I-I was thinking a-after that..." Yuri's confidence dampened. The doctor thought for a good while before finally responding. "Well, I guess I don't have much going on anyway; tell you what, Yuri: After the dialogue session, meet me at the back of the hall. I'm sure we have many things to discuss."

"O-oh! Th-thank you so much, D-Doctor Commings!"

"It's my pleasure Yuri."

With that, Yuri left the line and headed towards the food court. As she opened her book, she still couldn't believe that THE Doctor Commings had signed HIS name in HER book. "To more stories together, Yuri! – Doctor Commings" Yuri had read that phrase over and over again on her trip to the cafeteria. Many of her days weren't like that, but for the first time in a long time, Yuri felt truly happy.

...

"S-so that's why this book is very personal to me; it gave me hope; hope that I couldn't even find for myself." Yuri finished off with her eyes closed. As she opened them up, she saw Dean looking at her with a thoughtful expression on his face and she immediately looked down. "Oh, I-I'm sorry; I must have bored you..."

"Why are you apologizing? That's a beautiful story, Yuri!" Dean smiled reassuringly, but the timid girl was still not yet convinced.

"Y-you don't have to cheer me up, Dean...I know you think I'm weird for going to a writer's convention..."

"Well, I guess I'm not much of a reader myself, but I still think these conventions are pretty cool! I don't think you're weird for having different hobbies-I actually think it's nice that you are willing to go out and enjoy your life. Am I wrong to say that this was a bad experience for you?"

"Of course not! I really liked it!"

"Well then, that's good! I'm happy that the event had a positive impact on your life!" Yuri

"Th-thanks, Dean, but I don't think my life has gotten that much better..."

"Oh don't say that, Yuri-how long ago was this symposium again?"

"T-the end of last year..."

"Well, would you say that right now, you're having an easier time as compared to last year?"

Yuri was taken aback by this statement. Dean was right: It may have not been much, but so far, this year hadn't gone completely off the rails yet.

"I-it's not that much easier, b-but it is easier nonetheless." Yuri looked up at Dean with hopeful eyes. "Th-thank you, Dean. Your words mean a lot to me." The young man smiled in return. By now, Yuri's face was completely red. Something about this boy was just so...attractive!

"Oh, it's nothing, Yuri. So, tell me: What happened after the dialogue session?"

"O-oh, right...after Doctor Commings finished his dialogue session, the two of us met at the back of the auditorium."

"What was he like in person?"

"He was really nice. He was patient and he didn't get frustrated by my constant stuttering, he didn't laugh at my feelings and my weird hobbies and he gave me advice on how to improve my poetry."

"Wow. Sounds like a really great guy to me."

"He-he was! When he answered my questions, he wasn't doing it like it was his job, or as if it was a chore to answer my questions, he meant each and every word he said and not once did I feel him answering like he was doing me a favour. H-he's a very genuine guy, isn't he?"

"Haha, yes; I would like to meet him in person-I feel like I could learn a thing or two from him."

Yuri was puzzled. Why this perfect guy would think he needed improvements, she may never know. Oh-but now's a perfect time to compliment him!

"D-don't say that, Dean...I think you're a pretty good guy too..." Yuri said with all of her might. Dean seemed to get slightly flustered at her compliment.

"Ahaha, you have too high of an opinion on me, Yuri; I'm not that great of a guy..."

"Wow...add "Being Humble" to his growing list of qualities..." Yuri thought.

"Huhuhu! I guess now it's my turn to encourage you!" Yuri joked.

"OH! BURN! Hahaha!" Dean laughed as Yuri joined in.

"But really though, I do wish to meet this Doctor Commings. Any idea of when his next event is?"

"Oh, yes actually: he told me his schedule when he was giving me advice. If I'm not mistaken...his next convention is a few months from now...I think it's around November...26 to 29 November, actually."

"Alright, sweet! I'll take note of that." Dean enthusiastically took out his phone to take the date down. "Thanks, Yuri!"

"D-don't mention it..."

As Dean noted down the date, Yuri stared deeply into his blue eyes. There was genuine enthusiasm and joy in there, as if he was more than happy to go to a convention he had just heard about a few minutes ago! But more than that, my god were they perfect! They were the most perfect pair of eyes she had ever seen! Just the way they glistened under the burning afternoon sun, how they sparkled with purity...

"O-oh my...w-what am I thinking right now? Uuhh...this is exactly why no one likes-"

"Yuri? You alright?" Yuri looked up in shock and realised Dean was looking back at her. The poor girl quickly turned away in embarrassment.

"A-Ah! I-I'm sorry! I-I didn't mean to stare or anything! I...I..." Seeing the poor girl lose her confidence made Dean frown slightly.

"Hey, hey, hey...it's alright, really." Dean was surprised that Yuri wasn't able to recover this time. However, the young man wasn't disheartened and tried again. "You wanna talk about your thoughts? Feelings, friends, anything?" Dean offered. "It would help to say it out loud."

Yuri had a bad feeling about telling Dean about her thoughts; she only knew him for two days and the stuff she had kept hidden for years would take at least two years of friendship to let out, let alone two goddamn days. Still, Dean's face wore one of curiosity but also concern, as if he really wanted to help Yuri defeat her problems.

"I suppose I can trust him..." Yuri thought to herself after a long while.

With a deep sigh, Yuri finally turned to face Dean.

"D-Dean? Would you promise me you won't tell anyone about this?"

"Of course, Yuri: What kind of friend would do such a shitty thing?" Dean gave a knowing smile. This was it for Yuri: The point of no return. Time to see if Dean would be freaked out and never speak to her again; the more likely outcome, or accept her for who she is.

"Well, the thing is...I tend to come on quite strongly when I meet other people. I didn't know about this habit until middle school when I overheard some girls talking about my weird mannerisms when I talk to people and after that, I started realising that no one in my class actually liked me..."

As Yuri told her story, Dean could see that she was having a hard time talking as her breath got shakier and her entire body started trembling. Her stuttering also got heavier, something Dean was saddened by.

"...I-I assumed they told almost everyone in my class about my weird habits and soon everyone stopped talking to me. When I realised I was deliberately being ostracized by my classmates...it-it made me s-so devastated t-that I distanced myself from everyone completely...All the while I had no idea this was going on behind my back and I kept thinking that I had made friends with everyone...but turns out they weren't..."

Yuri looked back at Dean as she finished, now on the brink of tears. "T-this is why I made sure to think b-b-before I speak...m-most of the time I just say things that make me unlikable."

"Yuri..." Dean was visibly moved by Yuri's troubled life story. "Y-you don't have to feel bad that people used to make fun of your habits...I know people are always saying this shit and I honestly think it's quite cliché, but be yourself. Stay true to yourself and if people don't like you for it, then they're not worth your time-"

"B-but everyone doesn't like me for it! T-that's why I don't have any friends!" Yuri interjected, visibly distraught.

"If they don't, then screw them!" Dean confidently stated. "You don't have to be friends with them; they're all trash human beings!"

"Y-you're right! I don't want to be friends with them...b-but, I just wish that they would stop bullying me...I don't understand-I try to seclude myself as much as possible, but they still end up coming after me!" Tears started rolling down Yuri's cheeks once more. "I-I guess the guys get mad because they think I'm ignoring them, but F-Fumi and the others? I-I don't understand..!"

"Hey...it's alright, Yuri, really; Fumi...she's been through a lot...I know that doesn't sound like a good excuse for her behaviour, but I'm serious. I know her more than her fake ass friends like Monika or Kisami-but I promise you that she isn't bullying you because she feels like it. She's dealing with some shit right now."

"I suppose you're right...but Monika isn't a bad person!" Yuri quickly defended the popular girl.

"And how do you know that?"

"B-because I've talked to her...the conversation wasn't smooth, but she was really nice and defended me from Fumi. Oh, and she also likes poetry-that's something, right?"

"Well, I'm happy that you were able to make a friend, Yuri, especially with someone like Monika; my group of friends have tried talking to her and most of them are way more good looking than me-"

"What the hell are you on about?" Yuri thought. "Better looking than you? Are you serious?"

"-and even they can't get her to crack. So I'm happy for you." Yuri looked at Dean and blushed.

"O-oh no, I wouldn't consider her a friend; at least not yet...besides: I doubt that we'll ever speak again after this and I have no intentions of finding her because she's always with Fumi."

"Well, take your time Yuri; rushed relationships aren't healthy anyway." Dean looked at his watch. "Well, lunch is almost over-I'd better get to class or my teacher would scold me. I'll see you tomorrow Yuri! Same place?"

"A-actually Dean, I was wondering if we could meet in the library tomorrow...The garden is nice and all, but it is quite hot-I only came here because I don't have to bypass the canteen fully, but since you told me to ignore Fumi and the others, I suppose the least I could do is follow your advice."

"Of course! If they bother you, just let me know: I'll talk to them."

"Oh, there's no need for that..."

"Yuri: I'm serious. If they make fun of you tomorrow as you're walking to the library, please let me know, alright?" Yuri looked at Dean. She could tell he was legitimately serious about this.

"S-sure. Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow..."

"See you!" Dean smiled and waved as he walked off. Unbeknownst to him, Yuri was staring at him, wide-eyed.

"He's...so...d-dreamy..." Suddenly, Yuri snapped back.

"Oh-oh no...I-I don't like him, do I? Uuuuh...he's going to be weirded out if he finds out about it...remember what he said: Rushed relationships aren't healthy."

With a newly found determination, Yuri nodded to herself as she walked off to her class.

...

"We were just walking towards the vending machine and Sayori saw you on the ground motionless; are you alright?"

"Well I'm clearly fine, so you can leave me alone now!" Natsuki angrily snapped at the popular girl, who jumped at her sudden outburst.

Monika looked back to Sayori. The bubbly girl could tell that Monika was slightly annoyed with Natsuki's rude attitude and decided to step in before Monika could tell her off. The last thing she wanted right now was to have these two girls start off on the wrong foot.

"Monika-this is Natsuki; she's from my biology class. Monika, Natsuki. Natsuki, Monika." Sayori introduced both girls to each other. They shook hands, but both girls still weren't on board with Sayori's idea of making them friends. Monika stared at Natsuki with an unsure look on her face while the smaller girl crossed her arms and huffed.

"Me and Monika were going to get a snack, would you like to join us?"

"I was clearly heading to the vending machine too-what do you think I was going to do; make out with it?" Natsuki sarcastically asked.

"O-oh, right...hehe..." Sayori blushed out of embarrassment.

"B-but I forgot to bring my wallet, so could you lend me some...p-please..." Natsuki said the last word with a bit of hesitation. Sayori shuffled slightly. "W-well, I didn't bring my wallet too...s-so..." she looked back to Monika, but thankfully she seemed to have lightened up.

"It's alright, Sayori-here!" Monika smiled as she gave Natsuki a 500 yen coin from her purse.

"Th-thanks..." Natsuki said as she took her pastry out of the vending machine; her face red with embarrassment. "I-I owe you one..."

"Oh-there's no need for that." An awkward silence ensued, but Sayori was glad that the tension was gone, at least for now.

"So where are you guys headed?" Natsuki asked, finally breaking the silence. "This doesn't seem like a place you two would go often."

"Oh, Monika and I were thinking about starting a club! Since we needed a classroom for that, we decided to come here since there's one senior classroom which is unused."

"How do you know that?" Natsuki asked, slightly sceptical.

"Err...well I just do!" Sayori lied with a big smile on her face to hide any suspicion, which Natsuki seemed to have bought. "Well, whatever. What club would it be anyway?"

"Well, we haven't exactly decided yet: That's what we were coming here for. Maybe you could join us!" Monika offered, smiling. Natsuki looked down with uncertainty, but decided to tag along. After all, Monika did help her get her snack and helping them come up with an idea for their club would be the least she could do to repay her.

"I guess I have nothing better do to. Let's go."

"Yay! Thanks Natsuki!" Sayori gleefully hugged the flustered girl.

"Ok, I get it! Jeez..."

...

"Did you seriously pick a classroom on the fourth floor?" Natsuki panted as the three girls finally made it up the stairs.

"Sorry Natsuki, but this was the only classroom we could use-all the others are occupied after school."

"Yeah-you told me that already. But why not choose one from our block? Or the science block? Those aren't used after school either."

"I just like this classroom!" Sayori happily said, completely oblivious to Natsuki's annoyance. "Alright, we're here!"

Sayori swung the door of the classroom open. The chairs and tables were scattered everywhere-which was expected during recess time and some of the students bags were still lying around, though the classroom would be relatively emptier after school. At the back of the classroom was a large walk-in closet which immediately caught Natsuki's attention.

"Nice! I actually have someplace to store my manga! Maybe this whole club thing isn't such a bad idea after all. Wait a minute..." An idea perked in Natsuki's head.

"I just got a brilliant idea, guys!" Natsuki reached into her bag. "Promise you guys wouldn't judge? I'm revealing a very big secret here, but that's only because it helps with the idea for the club."

Sayori looked at Monika, who looked back at Sayori. "Of course I won't judge, Natsuki; I'm your friend!" Sayori happily said. "I won't judge you either; Natsuki." Monika said.

"Alright then, I trust you two." Natsuki complied as she pulled out a box from her bag. Inside were neatly packed volumes of manga which looked to be in pristine condition.

"Parfait Girls?" Monika questioned as she looked at the bright pink words on the box. Natsuki's face immediately flew into rage.

"Yeah yeah yeah! Go ahead and judge me-I don't care!"

"B-but I didn't even say anything..." Monika said with a hurtful expression on her face.

"It was the tone of your voice, Monika."

"What does the tone of my voice have to do with anyth-?"

"Guys! Guys! Let's not argue, please?" Sayori stepped in once again. Seeing her disappointed look, Monika and Natsuki decided to stop.

"Well, anyways, I thought we could make a book club, you know: Just a chill after school reading session where we all bring books to read and discuss them. What do you guys think?" Natsuki looked at Sayori and Monika expectantly. To her relief, both girls seemed to like that idea.

"I love that idea! I have so many books I have at home that I'll love to share with all of you!" Sayori was the first to speak up.

"Thanks, Sayori. Monika? What about you?"

"That's actually a great idea, Natsuki! I like the idea of just sharing the things you like with other people and I think it's a great way for us to get to know each other better! Thank you, Natsuki-that really is brilliant! I wish I could have thought of that!"

Natsuki seemed to have trouble accepting Monika's compliment as her face turned red, but she accepted it anyways. "O-of course it's brilliant! I'm the one who came up with it after all! B-but th-thanks Monika...I'm really happy you agree with my idea."

"Although, do you mind if I add on to your idea?

"Be my guest: Besides, just reading wouldn't be THAT eventful-we need some more ideas if we want to make our club successful and I'm open to suggestions; I'm not made of stone." Natsuki proudly proclaimed.

"Well, I kind of like writing poems."

"Poems?" Both Sayori and Natsuki raised their eyebrows.

"Yeah! They're a great way of getting your thoughts and feelings down instead of keeping them bottled up inside. Whenever I have some issues that I don't know how to deal with, I like to write a poem on how I'm feeling and work it out from there and I have to say from experience that it really helps! The poem doesn't have to be good; it just has to be true to who you are. You two understand that, right?"

Natsuki seemed to agree with Monika, but Sayori looked slightly downcast. Monika JUST had to mention feelings and keeping them bottled up.

"Sayori? Is something wrong?" Monika took notice of Sayori spacing out. Sayori looked up and quickly replaced her sad look with a wide Sayori-like smile. "Nothing's wrong Monika! I fully agree with you!"

"Yeah me to: I have so many problems with the school and home that I would like to get out of my system so badly-your poem thing could be a good way to do that."

"That's what I was having in mind, Natsuki- a club where on top of reading, we also do writing! What do you two think?"

"I don't mind doing something extra other than reading manga." Natsuki agreed.

"Yeah! That's a brilliant idea, Monika! That's one more skill I can pick up!" Sayori agreed as well, though with much more enthusiasm than the manga-lover.

"Well, then it's settled!" Monika clasped her hands together. "A club to read and write-none of the other clubs are like that, so we at least have originality on our side. I'll go talk to the teachers about starting a new club after school."

"Well, if we're going to start a new club, who should lead it?" Natsuki asked. "We can't have a club with no president-it'll go haywire; even with just three people in it."

"Monika should be the president!" Sayori bashfully said. "She's so smart and beautiful-boys will want to join our club after that!" Monika grew flustered at Sayori's kind words, while Natsuki looked on in annoyance.

"Ahaha, don't say that kind of things, Sayori...besides, Natsuki was the one who came up with the whole book thing to begin with-if anything, she should be the leader."

"But it's true! Also, you're in the student council AND you were the leader of the debate club before you quit! If anything, you're the most competent one here to lead anything at all; let alone a small club!"

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with Sayori." Natsuki backed the cheerful girl up. "I know I'm the one that came up with the idea, but Monika-" the petite girl turned to face her new friend. "-I know our first encounter like literally five minutes ago wasn't on the right foot, but I still think you leading would be the best for us. You clearly have the most leadership qualities out of all of us; I can't be bothered with leading shit and Sayori's...well... Sayori..."

"Heyy!' Sayori whined, causing the two girls to laugh.

"-so yeah. You should be club president."

Monika remained silent for a minute before smiling at Natsuki. "Thanks, Natsuki. Your kind words mean a lot."

"Well-o-of course they did! I already told you: I'm a pro at these sorts of things!" Natsuki again had trouble handling Monika's compliment, but at that point, it didn't even matter.

"Speaking of people joining, we have to keep in mind that we need at least four members to become a legitimate club, or else the school would shut us down after one month. Do you guys have anyone in mind?"

"I suppose I can trick Maple and Mabel into joining, but I don't think that's a great idea."

"Why not?" Monika asked, curious.

"They're-never mind..." Natsuki looked down in disgust, remembering the two girls' opinions on manga.

"What about you, Sayori? Maybe you could get Mio to join?" Monika turned to Sayori, who was lost in thought.

"Ah-I don't think she has time for after-school activities...she has to-"

"Right. I'm sorry, I forgot about that." Monika quickly apologized. "I already tried Kisami and Fumi just now, but they don't seem too keen on joining..."

"Well, that's a good thing! I don't want either of them to come and ruin everything with their toxic attitude-no offense, Monika." Natsuki angrily noted.

"No, I understand. I low-key don't want either of them joining either...well then, that brings our member count from three to three...what are we going to do?" Suddenly, Sayori's face lit up.

"I just thought of someone! But it's going to take a lot of convincing for this particular person."

"I know someone I can bring-and I have no idea how the hell I forgot about her when we're literally talking about books." Natsuki said, causing Monika's face to also perk up.

"I think I know who you're talking about, Natsuki. Maybe we can find her now?" Monika suggested.

All of a sudden, the school bell rang, signalling the end of recess.

"Aw man...well, I guess we'll have to look for her either after school or tomorrow." Monika said. "Meet you at the library?"

"Sure!" Natsuki said with a toothy smile. "Oh and before we go, we still have one more problem."

"What's that?" Both Monika and Sayori looked at the pink-haired girl quizzically.

"We still don't know what our club should be called. The writing club? The poetry club?"

Monika and Sayori thought to themselves for a little while before Sayori looked back up with excitement on her face.

"I got it!"

...

School flew by relatively quickly for Yuri for the second half of the day. As most of her remaining classes were lectures, she at least had the luxury of hiding at the back of the lecture theatres without any of her bullies (which was almost everyone in the lecture theatre) catching her. The violet-haired girl let out a tired sigh as she left the empty lecture theatre and headed for the library to finish her schoolwork.

While walking to the library, Yuri thought back to her conversation with Dean during recess.

"Stay true to yourself and if people don't like you for it, then they're not worth your time" Dean's kind words echoed through Yuri's head, but at the same time, she still felt uncertain.

"W-what if Dean's just being nice because he feels bad? Oh, but he's just so charming...I think I-I'm in love with him!"

"Oh, stop it Yuri-you're being obsessive again...ugh...you're so stupid! No wonder no one likes you..."

"No! Dean does! I just know it!"

"No...He just takes pity on you; you're nothing but a weak, useless girl!"

"But still though, he's just...so...p-perfect...he's kind and s-strong...he doesn't think I'm a weak girl at all! He sees me for who I truly am!"

"Yeah, I guess you're right-he is pretty damn hot, isn't he?"

"Yeah...h-he is..."

"And you just want to fucking FUCK HIM!"

"N-NO!"

Yuri suddenly felt a weird feeling in her chest. It was her heart; it was starting to beat a bit more rapidly. Her breathing grew quicker and quicker as sweat started to pour down her forehead.

"Oh-oh no...N-not again..." Yuri said breathlessly as she scanned around for the nearest toilet. Thankfully, there was one just a few meters from the library.

By the time Yuri reached the girls' toilet, she was more than out of breath and her sweat had begun to stain her uniform. Luckily for her, there was no one in sight.

Swinging open the toilet door, Yuri threw herself into one of the stalls and sat down on the toilet seat. As she panted heavily, she reached into her bag and flicked out a small knife. It's handle was made of fine silver and the blade was a deep blue, almost cobalt in colour. Several words in Latin were carved into the side of the blade.

Yuri fidgeted around with the knife for a few seconds before setting it aside and taking of her blazer. Under her vest, her white uniform was already soaking wet with sweat and part of it was already see-through.

"Haaahh...haaahh" Yuri let out a few short breaths before bringing her knife up to her forearm, right under a cut. The cut had pretty much healed up; it was scabbed the redness had mostly disappeared. Yuri decided to reposition the knife under another cut which was still quite fresh; she could still see the blood in there and it was still bright red. The cut was also underneath another cut,

which was under another cut,

which was under another cut. The last cut ended right underneath her elbow; this one was quite old, maybe about a week or so. Yuri took a deep breath as she brought the blade of the knife up to her skin.

As she pressed the blade down into her skin, bright red blood slowly oozed out. "Ksssshhh!" Yuri winced as pain shot up her forearm. Yuri continued slowly pulling the blade along her arm as her skin slowly tore open. More blood seeped out from her newly formed cut.

Time passed slowly.

Yuri was completely drenched in sweat and her left arm was drenched in both sweat AND blood. Yuri took a few seconds to cool off before grabbing some toilet paper from the-

"Wh-what?!"

Yuri felt her heart stop as she felt around the empty toilet paper holder.

"No...NonononoNO!" Yuri frantically searched around for any bits of paper towels lying around, but her stall as completely empty of paper. She really didn't want to go out to look in the other stalls-what if someone walked in and saw her like that? They would think of her as a freak, the word would spread around the school like wildfire and soon the rumours would become the truth. As these thoughts swarmed Yuri's head, she began to panic more and more.

"Wait-my bag!" Yuri lifted her bag upside down and shook all its contents out onto the floor. Her textbooks fell right smack onto a puddle of dirty water, but at that point, Yuri didn't care. All she wanted was at least some form of...

"...Paper..."

Yuri grabbed one of her textbooks at ripped the contents page right out. As she put it right up against her freshly cut arm, blood began to soak up into the contents page, staining it red; some of the blood from her other cuts also seeped in.

By the time Yuri was done cleaning up after herself, the entire page was soaked with blood, some dripping out at the bottom. Thankfully, Yuri held the page over the toilet bowl so no blood would stain the floor.

"Phew." Yuri heaved a heavy sigh of relief as she dumped the blood-stained page into the toilet bowl and flushed it down. Making sure she kept her knife properly, she took another deep breath and stepped out of the stall. Yuri walked up to a mirror and took a good look at herself.

"Look at yourself. You're a freak."

"I-I'm not!"

"You're cutting yourself-you're clearly obsessed with that Dean guy, and look! You're fucking sweating all over the place! Your uniform is stained with all that blood, and-"

"M-my u-uniform?"

Yuri looked down at her arms and saw a stained white sleeve that was still soaking wet with sweat, blood and water.

Her heart skipped a beat.

Yuri turned around to see a blazer still hanging on a metal grab bar. Before she could react, the toilet door swung open.

"I knew we would catch you in her-OH MY GOD LOOK AT HER ARM!"

"I always knew she was a freak, let's teach her a lesson!"

"A-AH!"

Yuri tried to hide in the stalls, but an arm grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back. As Yuri spun around to defend herself, a fist went right into her right cheek, sending her flying across the toilet.

"TAKE THAT, YOU FREAK!"

"UUUGGHHH..." Yuri groaned as she tried to steady herself, but a leg swung right into her stomach, kicking her off her feet. Yuri fell face first onto the wet toilet floor. Tears starting flowing out of her eyes as more kicks and punches came down onto the poor girl.

"Yeah that's right: CRY! THAT'S ALL YOU KNOW HOW TO DO!"

"Since you like cutting yourself so much, why not we do it for you?!"

As Yuri looked at her assailants, light reflected into her eyes: metal. Yuri knew immediately what her assailant was holding.

"W-WAIT! P-Please..." Yuri could only beg as an arm forcefully grabbed hers while another pulled down her uniform sleeve.

"Where should we put it? Next to this old one or up here with this new one that's still fucking bleeding?"

"How about both?"

Yuri could only watch in terror as a penknife was brought up to her arm and pulled across it forcefully.

"AA-AHHHHH!" The defenceless girl screamed as blood started to pour out from a freshly opened cut. Unlike Yuri's own cuts, which were small incisions in her skin, this one was a straight up laceration. This was bad. Yuri was pretty good at dealing with her own cuts by now, but her bullies had given her a large and deep one. "FIGHT BACK YOU BITCH! SHOW THEM THE FREAK THAT YOU REALLY ARE!"

As her assailants continued to torment her, all of a sudden, Yuri stopped screaming.

"Did she pass out?"

"I don't know; who cares? Let's give her one more cut, this time on her huge tits!" As one of Yuri's bullies knelt down to unbutton her uniform, as of a sudden, Yuri's arm forcefully grabbed her.

"GAH!" In her shock, the bully dropped her penknife on the floor. Yuri took this opportunity to take her knife out.

"S-stay back!" Yuri pointed her knife at the two girls with a manic expression in her eyes. This time, it was their turn to be frightened.

"AHHH! STAY AWAY FROM US, YOU FREAK! LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!"

Yuri's assailants flew from the scene, leaving Yuri standing in the middle of the toilet all alone.

"Pant...pant..." Yuri stood there motionless for a few seconds; processing what had just happened, before collapsing onto the floor in a heap. Her head was spinning and she could still see the afterimage of her assailants tormenting her.

Silence for a few seconds; the only noise is the whir of the wall fans and the occasional dripping of tap water.

Silence of a few more seconds...

And then it breaks with the quiet stifles of a poor, misunderstood girl lying helplessly on the floor.

"...sob..."

...

"Where do you think Yuri could be?"

"Well, I only spoke to her on that one occasion, but it's not hard to tell that she'd rather sit somewhere less open. Maybe we should check the study benches on the top floor?"

"Hmm...I guess you're right, but I think we should split up to cover more ground."

"Why? Are you in a rush or something?"

"Y-yeah...m-my Dad wants me home e-earlier today..."

"Oh, alright then-I'll look upstairs while you search here. If either of us see her, give the other a text, alright?"

"Yep-I bet I can find her faster!"

"Oh, it's on!"

With that, Monika and Natsuki split up to search the school library for their potential fourth member.

...

"Hey, Monika!"

"Hi, Monika!"

"Oh, look: it's her. Be cool, be cool. Ahem...uh...h-hey, Monika!"

"Hi. Hello. Uhm...hey!" Monika tried her hardest to greet almost everyone on the top floor of the library, but literally everyone was saying hi to her first. The people just browsing around stopped what they were doing just to greet her, friend groups reading together put their books down, even the more studious ones stopped their revision just to say hi. However, Monika couldn't entertain any of her fans; she had to find her fourth member. The popular girl headed straight for the far end of the top floor.

To her surprise, she wasn't anywhere. Monika looked behind, around and in between bookshelves, but no sign of the purple-haired girl anywhere. There were only students doing their revision diligently, some had passed out from sheer exhaustion.

"That's odd...I assume she likes to read alone and out of everyone's sight..." Monika was dumfounded. If Yuri wasn't on the top floor, she would be at the bottom, right in the open. That wasn't Yuri. Still, she wouldn't give up hope. Carefully taking out her phone, she gave Natsuki a text message.

"_Top floor's nada; I'm coming down to join you."_

"_K."_

Natsuki didn't have much luck either; most of the time it was just students giving her dirty looks for snooping all over the place. The reading rooms were empty, the computer room was filled with many students, but no Yuri, and everywhere else was either too populated or too exposed for someone as timid as her.

"No, definitely not here." Natsuki said as she walked past a wide-open beanbag area where students were using their phones and relaxing.

This was a lost cause.

"No luck?" Monika linked back up with her club member.

"I just don't get it-isn't this like where she goes to do her homework? Why would she not be here today?"

"She must not be feeling well, I guess...oh well; didn't you say you have to leave early?"

"Oh, right." Natsuki looked at her watch. "5 pm?! Seriously?!"

"SHHHHH!" Hushes came from all around the library, causing Natsuki to lower her head in embarrassment. "S-sorry..." the pink-haired girl muttered out inaudibly. "I better get going; my dad's gonna kill me if I'm not home in time. I'll see you tomorrow, same place?"

"Sure! Take care, Natsuki!" Monika waved to Natsuki as she walked off.

"I just don't get it. This isn't like her at all!" Natsuki questioned with visible confusion as she walked through the library's glass doors. "Maybe she really IS sick..."

As Natsuki left, Monika decided to hang around the library for a while longer. After all, she didn't get much homework today and most of what she did get wasn't due the next day, so she figured that she could spend some time to unwind. She walked over to the beanbag area and whipped out her phone.

"Hmm...Who should I text to pass the time...?" As she randomly swiped down her contacts, it stopped fittingly at her vice-president. Conveniently enough, she was online. "Sure, why not."

"_Hey Sayori! How's life?"_

Sayori responded almost instantaneously.

"_HEY! OMG Im struggling with mrs chen's biology assignments and mio doesnt know how to do them either! AHHH THIS SUCKS! :'( "_

Monika smiled to herself as she read through Sayori's exasperated texts.

"_HAHAHA. Don't worry so much; I'm sure you can figure it out."_

"_arent you an arts student Monika? Do you even know the difference between a grana and a thylacine membrane?"_

"_Enough to know that it's called "Thylakoid", not "Thylacine"."_

"_Sayori is typing..."_

"Oh dear...I hope I didn't make her mad..."

"_I KNEW THAT! I was just testing you :D "_

"_XD whatever you say, Sayori. By the way, how's that friend of yours? Have you asked her if she's keen on joining?"_

"_well...I havent had the time today, you know, homework and all, and btw its not a she." _

"_Oh, it's a guy? What's his name?"_

"_anon. dont worry about it, hes nice! youll love to meet him!"_

"Anon? As in that guy from...where was it again? Ah it'll come to me eventually."

"_Well, as long as he's willing to put in effort, I'm sure we'll get along nicely!"_

"_dont worry moni, anon always gives his 100 percent as long as hes having fun! How about you and nats? did you two find yuri?"_

"_No, she wasn't at the library today. :( "_

"_REALLY? I thought she loved going to the library!"_

"_Yeah Natsuki and I thought that too...we'll just have to find her tomorrow I guess..."_

As Monika looked up from her phone, something in her peripheral vision caught her attention. She spun her head to the direction of the glass doors; where all the way down the hallway, she could see a dash of purple coming out from what looks like a nearby toilet.

"Yuri!"

The dash of purple started to move away from the toilet. "Nonononono don't disappear on me now." Monika quickly texted Sayori and got up from her beanbag.

"_Wait I think I just saw her! TTYL!"_

"_go get her! __ヽ__(*__・__ω__・__)__ﾉ"_

Monika walked briskly to the glass doors of the library, before a voice from behind her stopped her dead in her tracks.

"Hey, Monika!"

Monika turned around to see who was calling her and

"Ahem...oh, it-it's just you Kouichi." The smug student body president smiled at her with a stupid grin on his face.

"Do you think you could help me with this?" Kouichi pointed to a book on his table. "Advanced Japanese" read the words on the cover. As Monika turned back to the glass door, the dash of purple had just vanished behind a wall. "Damnit!" Monika scolded herself for not pursuing Yuri. Now she had to deal with this piece of shit. She turned back to Kouichi with the fakest smile of all time.

"Sure, Kouichi! I'll be happy to help you!" As she walked over to her student body president, she sent Sayori a quick text.

"_Didn't get her :( Got interrupted by Kouichi!"_

"_that jerk! hes always ruining everything! :["_

"So, Kouichi, what can I help you with?"

...

"Hi Mom, I'm home..."

Yuri timidly peeked into her house; her mother was sitting on the couch, watching television.

"Welcome home dear, how was school?"

Yuri clutched her left arm tightly. "I-it was fine...schoolwork isn't that tiring yet ...oh a-and I-I made a new friend!"

"Oh, really? What's her name?" Yuri looked off the side in embarrassment. "A-actually Mom, it-it's a "he"."

"OOOOH!" Yuki's voice rang out from her room.

"Y-Yuki! It-it's not like that!" Yuri's hands jumped up to her chest.

"Yuki! That's enough now!" Yuna chided. "Anyway, before I was so rudely interrupted, yeah: So what's his name?"

"D-Dean...he's a senior."

"Oh, that's nice. What's he like? Is he handsome? Nice?"

"Y-yes, actually! He's really tall and, erm, also quite muscular. And yes, he is VERY nice. He listens to me talk about my books even though he isn't a big reader."

"That's nice of him."

"Y-yes, it is. He's a very nice guy."

"Do you have his contact number? Maybe we can invite him over to dinner someday?"

"Oh a-ah..." Yuri blushed slightly. "I-I don't have his contact number...I'I kept talking about my books that I guess I forgot to take it down..."

"Oh that's alright, dear. Take your time with these things, although I would really like to meet him."

"You will, Mom! He's very gentlemanly and he also loves soap operas! His mom forces him to watch them with her!"

"Uhuhu, now I definitely want him over!"

"I guess that makes two of us, Mom. Anyway, I better go wash up." Yuri said as she suddenly remembered her incident earlier. "By the way, do we still have any rubbing alcohol?"

"Yes, we do; it's in the upstairs bathroom...why, did you hurt yourself today?"

Yuri tensed up as she gripped her left arm even harder. "I-I...I fell down earlier, yes!"

"Oh, my poor baby let me see-"

"N-NO! I-I'M OK MOM I PROMISE! I-I just need to apply some alcohol to disinfect it, that's all!" Yuri rushed up the stairs before her mother could say another word.

Once again, Yuri found herself in a toilet. After cautiously shutting the toilet door behind her, Yuri opened the cabinet above her sink and took out the bottle. As she took off her blazer, her eyes fell as she saw how much blood had stained her uniform. Clearly the boatloads of paper towels she used weren't enough to stop the bleeding from the large cut her assailants gave her.

Stripping down to her bra and underwear, her hands shook violently as she grabbed the alcohol bottle. Her own cut had already stopped bleeding; it was the large laceration that was going to hurt the most. "I better get something to chew on..." Yuri noted to herself as she took a wash cloth and stuck it in her mouth.

"I can do this...I can do this..."

With a deep breath, Yuri sloshed the alcohol over her two cuts.

The pain was unlike any other.

Yuri found herself having to kneel down on the toilet floor from all the pain. She tried her best not to scream from the sheer pain. She bit down on the cloth so hard that her teeth were starting to hurt. Tears had formed in her eyes from squeezing them too hard.

"MMPPPHHH!" Yuri groaned through the washcloth as the pain continued to burn through her body like boiling acid. Within a few seconds, she was completely immobile.

Time passed.

Yuri slowly got herself to her feet.

"I-I'm okay..."

As she turned on the shower, she let the water run for a few seconds before washing her left arm under it once again. The pain returned, but it was nothing compared to her ordeal a few minutes ago. As Yuri stood under the shower, she began to cry.

...

"Don't let anyone tell you what you can and cannot do, Yuri. This poem right here? It's exquisite!"

"Aha...no, it's not that good..."

"I mean it, Yuri! You have a remarkable talent for writing? Have you ever considered being an author? A poet at least? You're a natural. You came here asking me about tips for good writing, but I can confidently say you don't need it!"

Yuri looked off to the side shyly. "You-you really think so?"

"I know so, Yuri. Let me tell you something." Doctor Commings motioned Yuri to come closer. As he spoke, his voice was smooth and gentle, but also warm and kind. It made Yuri feel comfort more than any other time the whole year.

"When you write a poem, don't think too hard about the line you're writing, or the next line, or the line after that. Whatever thought comes first: That's your honest, genuine thoughts. Don't second guess yourself. This way, it makes the poem more authentic: it's made BY you. If you wait to think about other things or how your original ideas aren't good enough for you, or other people, then it's not YOUR poem anymore. So don't think twice when writing a poem: Write it straight out of your heart."

Yuri stared wide-eyed at the good doctor.

"Tell you what, Yuri. I'm having another symposium during November. Write a poem when you go home and when you come to the symposium, I would like you to show it to me. Can you do that for me?"

Yuri looked at Doctor Commings in the eye.

"Y-yes...I can do that..." The good doctor smiled warmly.

"I'm counting on you, Yuri!"

**End of Chapter Four**


	5. Chapter 5: Waterfall

"NATSUKI! GET OUT HERE NOW!"

Natsuki stirred in her sleep, still hugging her pink bolster. Oh, this bed is so comfortable, isn't it? What a nice place to have a beautiful, relaxing sleep. You know? Those kinds of sleep that you just never want to wake up from?

"NATSUKI! DON'T MAKE ME GO IN THERE!"

Shinzo's booming voice jolted Natsuki upright. The poor girl sat up straight on her bed, her blood already starting to boil. It's 3 in the morning! What could she have done wrong this time? Clearly it wasn't the dishes; he came home and said nothing about them, it wasn't the manga; she had stored it safely in her new clubroom, and it certainly wasn't the beer; she just bought a crate full for his lazy ass! It couldn't be the beer.

Could it?

"I'M COMING!" Natsuki shouted from her room. As she cautiously approached her bedroom door, she slowly opened it. She could see a dim light coming from the kitchen. The clanking of bottles could be heard.

"What's wrong, Dad?"

As Natsuki walked closer to the kitchen, she could see Shinzo's shadow looming over the furniture in the living room. It gave Natsuki a familiar sense of dread. When Shinzo finally appeared, Natsuki could tell from just one look that he had just woken up and he was already drunk before that.

"What's wrong? Why don't you tell me?" Shinzo pointed at the crate of beer Natsuki had just bought.

"What? I bought you beer just as you asked! Why are you yelling at me for?!" Natsuki angrily retorted.

Shinzo stared back with a bewildered expression. "Don't tell me...you actually have no idea what you did wrong! What are you, stupid?"

By now, Natsuki was fuming. "I DON'T KNOW WHAT'A WRONG WITH THE BEER-WHY DON'T YOU TELL ME THEN?"

"OKAY! I'LL TELL YOU! YOU BOUGHT THE WRONG BRAND YOU STUPID THICK BITCH!"

Natsuki looked at the label. "Asahi Super Dr-"

"This...is the exact same beer YOU KEEP DRINKING! WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE BRAND IS WRONG?!" Natsuki's voice squeaked.

Shinzo staggered over to her on the verge of collapsing. "Y-you...YOU'RE AN IDIOT! NO DAUGHTER OF MINE IS AN IDIOT!" Shinzo's hand flew right across Natsuki's face, causing her to stumble backwards. By now, Natsuki's tough facade had dissolved and she once again found herself cowering from her father's wrath. Even though Shinzo wasn't as aggressive in his heavily drunken state, he was still a strong man and Natsuki felt every last bit of that slap.

"YOU BOUGHT ME W-WRONG BEER AND YOU STILL DARE TO SHOUT IN MY FACE?! COME HERE YOU LITTLE BITCH!"

Natsuki wailed in terror as she made a beeline for her room. Unfortunately, Shinzo somehow caught up to her and whacked the back of her head. Natsuki tumbled to the ground, groaning in pain as she clutched her head.

Determined to make it back to her room, she tried with her remaining strength to crawl. Fortunately, Shinzo had apparently taken a short break from hitting her and was pacing around the living room.

"I-I-I...I don't believe it...our daughter's an idiot! OH MY GOD! OUR BELOVED NATSUKI...YOU RAISED HER TO BE A SPOILT BRAT WHO CAN'T EVEN HELP HER POOR FATHER!" Shinzo forcefully grabbed a picture frame from the shelf over the television and started screaming at it.

"LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE YOU DUMB WHORE! YOU'VE BROUGHT SHIT UPON US ALL! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" Shinzo hurled the picture frame at Natsuki's back, causing her to scream out loud in pain. Still, she kept crawling.

Shinzo wrapped his hands behind his head. "Oh fuck...oh fuck...w-what do I do? My job is a mess, my daughter is an idiot, and my wife left me when I needed her most..." Shinzo fell to his knees. Natsuki took this opportunity to scramble into her room.

Slamming the door behind her, Natsuki curled up into a ball as she heard her father's cries from the living room. He wasn't really saying anything: He was just wailing to himself.

"Natsuki!"

Natsuki looked up. The darkness of her room greeted her. "Huh. Must be Dad's punches finally getting to my brain."

"Natsuki! Time to wake up!"

That voice...Natsuki started to tear up. It was a voice she remembered all too clearly.

"Natsuki! Come on, you'll be late for your first day of school!"

"Mmmuuummm...five more minutesss..."

"Ok, Ok five more minutes, but I'm splashing cold water on you if you're still sleeping!"

Natsuki walked over to her bed. In it was a small girl; maybe around six or seven years of age, with hot pink hair, tucked up in bed with an equally pink bunny. She looked so peaceful, so innocent; who in their right mind would wake her up?

"Oh Dad...what have you done with my head?" Natsuki rubbed her head as she looked on to see a woman, also with hot pink hair, walk in the room with a wet towel. A lanky man with neatly combed brown hair and deep blue spectacles walked in behind her. Natsuki watched as the woman placed the towel on the young girl's face.

"MMPH! AH! W-What the hell, Mum! It's so cold!" The young girl started kicking around as she reached for the cold towel. The man and woman started laughing.

"Hahaha, I told you Natsuki: Cold water! Are you going to get up now?"

"Ugh, fine!" the small girl reluctantly jumped out of her bed and ran out of her room as the man and woman looked on. "She's so precious, isn't she dear?" the woman asked her husband. The man let out a small smile. "She sure is..."

Natsuki stared at the smiling man. He looked so proud and so happy... "What happened to you?" Natsuki asked the man. "And what happened to you?" Natsuki turned to ask the woman, her voice now starting to shake. "W-why did you leave us? We were so h-happy...sniff...t-together...sniff..."

The woman turned to look at Natsuki. She let out a sad smile. "My little parfait girl...look at how much you've grown..." By now, Natsuki was a mess; waterfalls of tears were gushing out of her eyes.

"Oh, please don't cry...you know I hate to see you sad..." the woman walked over to Natsuki and gently caressed her hair. "What's gotten you so upset, my dear?"

"Y-Y-YOU! IT'S YOU! Y-You left us! W-Why did you leave us..?" Natsuki started to hit the woman in her chest. "Stupid, stupid, STUPID! I-I MISSED YOU SO MUCH! WHY DID YOU HAVE TO GO?!" The woman looked on in sadness and Natsuki continued assaulting her.

"You know I can't feel any of this, right?" Natsuki looked up at the woman and wiped her eyes.

"...sniff...I-I know...but you deserve it anyway! Look at him!" Natsuki pointed back to the man. "Look what you've done to him! He was so...sniff...s-so kind...a-and g-gentle! Now all he does is beat me to a pulp! Why couldn't you have been there to stop him?!"

"I'm sorry I couldn't have been there for you...but you shouldn't blame it all on him: Do you ever stop to think: Maybe you yourself have done something, MANY things, to make him this angry? Like using his hard earned money to buy comic books-maybe that's why he hates them so much?"

"B-but I'm seventeen! I can have my own life now!"

"Maybe he's just protecting you! Maybe he's lost too much, and he doesn't want to lose you-"

"BULLSHIT! If he doesn't want to lose me, why does he look like he wants to kill me all the damn time?!"

"He's-just...going through a lot...do you know how much he's earning?"

"Well, it would have been a lot more if he didn't spend it all on shitty ass beer!"

"And why do you think he's drinking so much? Maybe work is giving him a hard time? See, that's your problem: You never think about these things; you only think on the surface level, what YOU see, you never think about what OTHERS see. To you, drinking equals bad, but maybe he has a good reason for it!"

"And how would you know that?! You left him so damn early! Did you even know him at all?!"

The woman looked down. Tears started to form in her eyes.

"I-I'm sorry...I didn't mean to-"

"No. No. You're right...I did leave you two too early...I'm sorry, Natsuki...could...could you ever...f-forgive me?"

Without another word, Natsuki rushed up to the woman and gave her a tight hug.

"I could never-NEVER hate you, Mom! I just...miss you and Dad so much!"

"Why would you miss Shinzo? He's right here."

"No, I miss the old him! You know: The caring, optimistic, non-drinking Shinzo Tamura! Why can't both of you just come back to me?"

"Well, take it slowly. It's like I said: Do small things that would make him happy. You don't have to wash his car or clean his clothes, just be obedient-and if he's still angry, just deal with it. Once he sees that you just want to make him happy, he'll stop whatever he's doing."

"A-and if he d-doesn't?"

"He will...trust me."

The mother and daughter pair stayed in their position for a few more minutes before finally breaking free.

"Go get some sleep."

Natsuki looked at her bed reluctantly.

"W-will you stay with me?" Her mother warmly smiled back at her as she placed her hand on her cheek.

"I'll always be with you, my little parfait girl..."

...

"YAWN! Ugh...what time is it?"

Natsuki slowly opened her eyes. The sun's rays blinded her.

"ACK! I take that as an 8:30 then..."

Natsuki lazily climbed out of her bed and looked at her alarm clock. Sure enough, it read "8:30".

"Well, I guess I'm late again...God, I hope that mouth-breather Kouichi doesn't give me detention or I'll be in a hell of a mood today..."

With a stretch and a half, Natsuki walked out of her room. The smashed picture frame from last night still remained there. In it, was a picture of her mother, smiling.

"Thanks Mom..." Natsuki said to the picture.

As she walked into the toilet to wash up, her reflection in the mirror said it all. Her face still had the bright red handprint Shinzo gave her, and as she massaged the back of her head, she could feel a small bump.

"A-AH!" Natsuki winced as she rubbed over her bump. As she took off her shirt and turned around, she could see a large bruise on her back. "How the hell is my spine still not broken?"

Natsuki reached for the medicine cabinet. "I need some fucking...ANTHING will do actually..." She slid the cabinet door open.

"W-what?"

Natsuki's heart skipped a beat. Panic started to rise within her as she frantically rummaged through the cabinet.

"No, no, no, no, NO NO NO NO NO NO!" Sweat started to pour out of the frantic girl. She started throwing bottles out of the cabinet.

"WHERE IS IT?!"

After searching for five minutes with not ointment or any bit of painkillers in sight, Natsuki grumpily slammed the cabinet door shut as she snatched a couple of band aids from the floor. "I guess these will have to do for now..."

As Natsuki finally got dressed, she could still feel the pain from last night's attack. She tried her best to cover her bump with her hair, but the imprint on her face was going to be impossible to explain.

"Bad start. Really bad start." Natsuki said to herself as she unlocked her front door.

...

"Late again, Natsuki?"

"Look, I'm sorry, Kouichi-I just...my alarm clock didn't sound off, just...please let me off the hook this time."

"I've had enough of your excuses, Natsuki-"

"But I'm serious! I rushed to get here; can't you at least give me credit for that?"

"Firstly, don't interrupt your student-body president. Secondly, I'm not here to bargain: You need six late-comings to get detention and guess how many you have? Six! Now give me your campus pass!"

"Don't shout at me you little punk!" Natsuki angrily unhooked her student pass from her blazer and shoved it into Kouichi's face.

"AH!"

Somehow, Natsuki had managed to get the clip into Kouichi's eye. The student-body president reeled back in shock as he clutched his eye.

"Oh shit..." Natsuki reeled back in shock as well. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" Kouichi angrily muttered under his breath before looking back up at Natsuki with an unspeakable anger in his eyes.

"Y-you...h-how DARE YOU!" The boy took out his notepad and scribbled angry words down on it before tearing a page out and shoving it into Natsuki's hands.

"Get out of my sight...NOW!" Natsuki knew better than to get into more trouble and scurried off.

"One week detention + meeting with subject head. Reason: Assault on student leader." The piece of paper read. Natsuki angrily shook her head. "What a fucking cunt! I swear, when I get my hands on him, I'll...I'll-"

"I'm so sorry I'm late!" a voice from behind interrupted Natsuki's train of thought. She turned around to see an exasperated Kisami running up to the gate. "I-I'm so sorry, Kouichi...please can you just let me off the hook just this round? I promise I will be punctual tomorrow!" The popular girl batted her long eyelashes at the student leader, all the while Natsuki was looking on in disgust. Kouichi rubbed the back of his neck.

"A-Ah...s-sure Kisami...I'll let you off this time..."

"Aww, thank you so much, I owe you one!" Kisami waved to the blushing president.

"Are you kidding me right now?!" Natsuki was bewildered at the situation she had just saw. If she wasn't mistaken, Kisami was on her eighth or ninth late-day, but for some reason, that dolt of a president let her pass with no penalty. "What a sad freak..." Natsuki angrily thought as Kisami walked up to her.

"Oh I'm sorry that you got detention." Kisami said to her face, making Natsuki's fists clench.

"Yeah, you better be once I'm done with your slutty ass! Look how short your skirt is!" Natsuki said under her breath as Kisami strolled off. "Unbelievable..."

Already in a bad mood, Natsuki that it was best to not cause any more problems and hurried off to her classes. Since it was Wednesday, her first period was Japanese, and her teacher, Mr Murakami, was infamous for not liking latecomers or anyone who knows what fun is. So far, Natsuki had kept under his radar, but it could all go wrong today. As the first bell sounded, Natsuki picked up her pace.

"Let's hope I'll not somehow make my day even worse than it already is..." Natsuki thought to herself as she neared the classroom blocks.

"Please be late, please be late..."

He wasn't late.

"Ms Tamura. Could you explain to me why you are late?" the big-bellied bespectacled man standing by the teacher's desk asked. Natsuki could feel her face getting warm.

"S-sorry Mr Murakami...I-I overslept and-"

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANY EXCUSES! NOW HURRY UP AND SIT DOWN!" the man boomed, making Natsuki jump. It wasn't the same kind of scary roar her father always does, but it wasn't any less frightening. Without another word, Natsuki hurried to her seat.

With that out of the way, Mr Murakami continued with his lesson and within 2 minutes, Natsuki was already bored out of her mind. Murakami's voice was just so...it was loud, but it was monotonous. Every word was said in the same pitch; every sentence, every fucking syllable. He was probably going through some Japanese proverbs, but Natsuki wasn't listening. There might have been a mention of what phrases would be used in the upcoming Block Test, but Natsuki wasn't listening.

As the teacher droned on about stuff that wasn't important, Natsuki thought back to the night before. She thought about her mother's words.

"...take is slowly..." Could she really afford to waste time? What if one of these days he ends up killing her? Won't that be too late? With a sigh, Natsuki rubbed her temples.

"I guess I'll buy him dinner on the way home...oh wait I have no money again. Well fuck." Natsuki said as she took out her wallet. "I guess I can ask Monika later when we meet during lunch."

"Natsuki?" Natsuki jumped in her seat. As she snapped out if her thoughts, she could see everyone in her class staring at her. Mr Murakami was dead centre in the classroom and she could tell just from the look on his face that shouting and screaming was imminent.

"Y-yes, Mr Murakami?" Natsuki timidly asked.

"What is the answer?" the fat man impatiently crossed his arms as he stared the petite girl down. Natsuki could feel sweat beading down her forehead. "Shit!"

Natsuki slowly opened her mouth. "Erm, c-could you repeat the question?"

From the look on his face, Natsuki knew that literally any other response would have been better.

"STAND UP!" the man roared, making every student jump, especially Natsuki. She bit her lip as she stood up while looking down, avoiding eye contact with the behemoth of a man, but she could still feel his eyes staring daggers at her.

"GET OUT OF MY CLASS!" Mr Murakami pointed towards the classroom door. The pink-haired girl stood there, head still down, hands still quivering, lips still shaking.

"NOW!" the man barked, causing Natsuki to jump again. Without another word, Natsuki tearfully walked out of the classroom.

"I BETTER SEE YOU AT DETENTION LATER, YOU HEAR ME?!" Mr Murakami called out after her. The girl could only nod as she disappeared behind the door.

As Natsuki exited the classroom, she looked around the corridor. "Good. No one here to laugh at me..." Natsuki thought as she saw nothing but an empty hallway. With that out of the way, Natsuki sat back against the wall and lowered herself to the floor.

"...sniff...sniff..." Tears were streaming down her puffy cheeks like a waterfall. Natsuki angrily slammed her fist against the wall. "...sob...stupid f-fucking t-teachers...sob..." Natsuki took out the two detention slips she had received in the span of an hour and crumbled them into a ball before throwing it out of the corridor window. "Stupid Kouichi and his pathetic penis...go eat a fucking dick!"

Eat.

"Huh..." Natsuki thought. "Since I don't need to go back to class, I guess its recess time already!" Natsuki stood up as she wiped her face with her sleeve. Maybe this day won't that bad anymore. And since everyone's in class, it's a perfect time to find spare change!

With a smile, Natsuki pointed her middle finger towards her classroom and walked off.

...

"I don't believe it...I actually bought something!"

Natsuki looked down at the small bag of chips in her hand. The bag was small and there probably wasn't going to be that much chips inside, but it was enough to replace her missing breakfast. Besides; she still had Monika to turn to for recess.

"Well, I still have forty minutes until my economics lecture...what should I do? Actually, fuck-should I even go? I don't want to make my day both bad AND boring...should I skip it? Eh, I'll think about that later...I guess I can read some of my manga-oh but it's all the way in the senior's block classroom...shit!"

Natsuki pondered for a good few minutes before finally making up her mind.

"I hope they have practical lessons or PE or I'm fucking screwed."

After finishing her small bag of chips, Natsuki threw it away before heading towards the senior's block.

As she walked past the canteen and through the garden, she could feel the cool morning breeze as it blew past her. The sound of leaves scattered in the wind, the birds chirping and the best part of all; not a single person talking. The garden was completely empty of people, giving it an almost tranquil vibe as if it was some sort of magical garden. Something about it just made Natsuki feel at peace, which she desperately needed after her apocalyptic morning.

"I could get used to this...hell; maybe I should read my manga here after I get it, assuming I can."

Soon enough, Natsuki reached the senior's block. Usually there would be the low humming of students talking and teachers going through slides, but this time, it was strangely quiet.

"That's a good sign..." Natsuki thought as she peaked into one of the ground floor classes.

Empty.

"Ok, that's another good sign."

Natsuki slowly walked up the stairs until she reached the fourth floor.

"Please be empty, please be empty..."

As she peered inside her future clubroom, she was instantly relieved to see nothing but schoolbags and stationery.

"Score!" she happily cheered as she walked straight to the walk-in closet. "Hello manga-"

Natsuki scanned the shelf she had previously put her box on. There were old textbooks, ring files, exercise and assessment books, tests, but no manga-filled boxes.

"W-what..." panic started to rise again, until she looked up at the top shelf. "Are you serious?!"

There, tucked away at the top shelf, barely visible from Natsuki's point of view, was her box of manga, just sitting there alone with no files or books to keep it company. "How the hell am I supposed to get it now?!"Natsuki looked around the classroom. The scattered chairs stared back at her.

"Oh thank god..."

Natsuki grabbed the nearest chair and hauled it over to the closet. Despite not being the strongest person ever, Natsuki was still able to lift it with ease. As she climbed atop it and reached for the top shelf, she realised that she still wasn't able to reach her bountiful box.

"God...fucking...DAMNIT!" she screeched as her fingertips barely grazed the side of the box. "Come...on..!" Natsuki strained her body more and more; she was standing on her tippiest of toes, her arms were stretched as far out as they could go, her fingers stretched even more than her arms...

...and they still couldn't get a grip on the box. With an exasperated sigh, Natsuki plopped back down onto her chair in defeat.

"Hmph...I wasn't going to read anyway!" Natsuki shouted at the box. The box said nothing in return.

Just as Natsuki was about to give up, she spotted the teacher's swivel chair from all the way across the room. Unlike all the other chairs in the class, this one wasn't as short and you could change its height like any other swivel chair.

"I swear to God if this doesn't fucking work..."

Sure enough, the chair allowed Natsuki to reach the box perfectly and then some, but since it had wheels, Natsuki had to be extra careful or she would end up falling. As she reached up to get the box, she felt the chair wobble underneath her.

"Wooaahhh..." Natsuki caught herself on the shelf before she could fully lose her balance. "Phew..." Natsuki heaved a sigh of relief as she wrapped her arms around the box and slowly lowered herself off of the swivel chair.

"Yeah!" Natsuki proudly hopped onto her feat with the box firmly in her arms. "Now...where to read..."

Just as Natsuki was thinking of a good reading spot, she could hear voices coming from outside the classroom.

"Oh shit...is first period over already?" Natsuki carried her box and peeked out the door. She could hear the echo of students chatting as they came up the stairs. "Welp, gotta go!" Natsuki told herself as she rushed out of the classroom, carefully not to let the box slip from her arms. "I guess the library's a good place-that way I can meet Monika and Yuri during lunch."

With that, Natsuki trotted down the stairs all while making sure no one caught her.

...

"I can't believe I completely failed that practical! I did exactly what the instructions told me to!"

"Sayori, did you put the purple thing in the burette?"

"No I put it in the triangle flask with the suction thingy, why?"

Monika let out a bemused laugh. "Ahaha! No wonder, Sayori: It's the other way round! Potassium Manganate goes in the burette while-you know what; forget it, never mind. I'll teach you this next time. Now, I've gotta find Natsuki and then recruit Yuri into the club."

"Oh yeah! The club! Is our first official meeting today?"

"Well, I haven't spoken to the subject heads yet, so I don't know. Regardless, we'll have to have four members by the end of the festival season or they'll dissolve our club.

"Huh? The festival season? Isn't that like...next NEXT week? How is that fair; that's like...no time at all!"

"Don't worry, Sayori: I'm sure Yuri's keen on joining; and besides, I thought you said you had this friend of yours you were inviting.

"I did, but I haven't seen him around lately...maybe he's sick..."

"Didn't you like...call or text him or something?" Monika quizzically asked, raising her eyebrow.

"Well, I do...but...we haven't been in contact for a while so...I don't know I think it'll be kinda awkward. I mean, we did reconnect like literally two...three days ago? But I still feel like it would be weird if I just texted him out of nowhere."

"I see! Well don't stress yourself over this-you can find him whenever; it's no big deal. Anyway, I'll ask them later, but I think it should start at least next week."

"YAY! OH MY GOD I CAN'T WAIT! WE'RE GONNA TRADE STORIES, READ WITH EACH OTHER-IT'S GOING TO BE SO MUCH FUN!"

"Alright, alright CALM down, Sayori: I'm sure we're going to have fun; just don't waste it all now, ok?" Monika reminded the cheerful girl. Thankfully, Sayori's zeal seemed to have settled down.

As the two girls approached the canteen, Mio walked into view.

"Well, I'll leave the two off you be; I'll go find Yuri with Natsuki. Bye!"

"See you!" Sayori waved goodbye to the popular girl was she danced up to Mio.

"God, I hope I'm not keeping her waiting..." Monika said to herself as she quickened her pace. As she neared the library, she could see a dash of pink around the study benches.

"Natsuki! Hi!" Monika briskly walked over to the pink-haired girl who was sipping on a cup of milk tea.

"Oh...hey Monika..." Natsuki said nonchalantly. It was clear that something was bothering her. Monika cautiously approached her and sat down.

"I-is everything alright? You look kinda down..." Monika looked at Natsuki's blazer and realised her lanyard was empty. "Detention?"

"Two! The second one was somewhat warranted; I spaced out in class and Mr Murakami scolded me, but the first one was just total bullshit!"

"What happened?"

"I may have accidentally punched our student body president in the face..."

"Are you kidding?! That's great! I would have wanted to see that dumbass get his face smacked! Don't worry about your detention; you're a hero!" The two girls laughed as the shorter one shook her head.

"Jesus, Monika..."

"Do you think she'd be here today?" Monika asked Natsuki as they stepped into the library, a blast of cold air rushing to their faces.

"Well if she isn't then I doubt she'd be here for the rest of the days...actually wait, I think that's her right there!" Natsuki whispered sharply while Monika turned to look at where Natsuki's finger was pointing. At the far end of the library, past the shelves and tables, Monika could just barely make out a streak of purple. "Let's go get her, then!" Monika responded.

As the two made their way over to what would hopefully be Yuri, Natsuki suddenly stopped in her tracks, grabbing Monika's blazer sleeve.

"Why, what's wrong?"

"Who's that guy?"

Monika craned her neck to get a closer view. Sure enough, Yuri was seated down with a big book in her hands, but there was also a guy seated next to her, reading another book. His back was facing the girls and they were...talking? Monika was taken aback by the fact that Yuri was somehow conversing with a guy, but she still felt happy for the shy girl nonetheless.

Natsuki wasn't.

"Ugh! If she's just gonna go with her boyfriend and read those stupid thick books then let's get out of here!"

"Natsuki...weren't you the one who suggested the idea of bringing Yuri in?" Monika folded her arms with a slight look of annoyance and disappointment on her face.

"Y-yeah, b-but...t-that was before I found out she had a boyfriend! You know what, fine! We'll recruit her, but YOU do the talking, capiche?"

Monika rolled her eyes before silently walking over to the reading pair.

"Whatever you say..."

...

"You know I never started reading until like the start of high school?"

"R-really?"

"Yeah...it's...kinda of embarrassing isn't it..."

"N-no! I-I mean, I did pick up the habit when I was quite young, but I'm not going to judge you over these kinds of things Dean...And besides, you managed to pick it up anyway; that's all that matters, right?"

"I guess you're right Yuri...so what was your first book?"

"My father gave me his old copy of Moby Dick he had to study for literature. I was bored one day so I decided to give it a shot...and h-here we are I guess...huhu..."

"Moby Dick?! Wow, how old were you at that time?" Dean had a bewildered expression on his face.

"Err-erm...I can't remember actually, but if I'm not mistaken...before elementary school?"

"Jesus..." Dean let out a soft whistle. "So I assume you topped every class you were in, for English at least?"

Yuri looked away in embarrassment. "Ehm...y-yes..."

"I was never much of a mugger, or a reader, but I have to say; this book's good! I like it!" Dean proudly held the "Shepherd's Pie" book in his hand, causing Yuri to blush some more.

"I-I'm glad you like it..."

The duo carried on reading for quite some time before Dean looked up from his book. "Yuri?" he called out to her quietly. No response from the quiet girl.

"Yuri?" Dean called out a little louder. The purple-haired girl's eyes were still firmly fixated on her own book. As Dean leaned in closer, he could see it in Yuri's eyes that she was completely absorbed into the world of her book, almost as if she was in a trance.

"Yuri?" Dean snapped his fingers in front of the young maiden's face, causing her to jump slightly.

"Kya!"

"SHHH!" hushes came out from across the library, causing Yuri to sink into her seat, her face burning up. Dean nervously looked around. All eyes were on him and his reading buddy, whose face was turning redder by the second. The young man could only waved his hand apologetically as he turned back to Yuri.

"O-oh...s-sorry about that Yuri, I didn't mean to startle you." Yuri was still completely embarrassed, but hearing Dean's soothing, reassuring voice put her slightly at east, at least to the point of being able to talk again.

"Oh, t-that's fine...I was just..."

"Too engrossed in your book?"

"Y-yeah..." Yuri let out a nervous laugh.

"Don't worry about it; I get engrossed in the things I do a lot too! You know this game; Team Fortress 2?" Yuri shook her head.

"Well, it's one of my favourite video games of all time and before high school I used to play it every day after I came home from school. You know this one time, when I was in secondary three; I played it for twenty hours on end! My mom woke up and saw me still on the computer and she was LIVID! Nowadays, I can only really play on weekends or maybe even not at all since it's my final year and everything..."

"I understand, though I don't think my mom would be too pissed if she caught me reading for twenty hours straight."

"Haha, fair enough. I guess too much video games isn't a good thing, so thank you Yuri for getting me to start reading!"

"O-oh...it-it's nothing really...I was just recommending a good book I thought you might enjoy..." Yuri blushed once again at Dean's compliment.

"And guess what? I'm enjoying it so far! Hey, maybe one day I should let you try out TF2. Who knows? Maybe in two years time you'll end up as a hardcore E-Sports gamer and I'm a best-selling author!"

"Huhuhu! I don't think that's too likely: I'm not very good at video games myself..."

"Well that's beside the point. The point is: It's ok to get absorbed into your hobbies; I do that a lot myself."

"Dean?" A name called out from behind him. As he spun his head around to see who it was, he was greeted by a girl with long brown hair and a large white bow. A shorter girl with pink hair was standing behind her, her hands on her hips and her face looking like she'd rather be anywhere else but here. Dean recognised the taller girl immediately.

"Oh, h-hey M-Monika...erm, h-how are you doing?"

"Fine." Monika responded coldly before turning to look at Yuri. "Hi Yuri! How was your day?" she greeted with considerably more warmth and joy.

"Uhm, h-hi Monika, N-Natsuki...erm, it's going...great, I guess..."

"Yeah the two of us need to talk to you about something so if you would just excuse us, Dean?"

"Uhm, s-sure...no problem...I-I was just on my way out anyway...see you Yuri!" Dean replied awkwardly as he waved to Yuri before walking out of the library.

"Thanks but no thanks..." Monika waited until Dean was out of sight before dragging the two girls out of the library as well. Yuri was the first to speak.

"I-I didn't know you two knew each other..."

"Who was he?" Natsuki asked, crossing her arms, completely avoiding Yuri's statement.

"Dean Greenwood." Monika answered, cutting in before Yuri could even open her mouth. "Senior year, rugby player; THE rugby player in fact, pretty much the school's sweetheart; Yuri, how did you even get to know him?!"

"W-well...I was reading my books during recess just the other day and he came up to me and we started talking about books..." Yuri decided to leave out the part about Kei. "H-he's being keeping me company and helping me open up about my interests more!"

Natsuki felt a bullet go through her heart. All this while, she'd been trying her ass off to help Yuri overcome her nervousness and shyness and it even seemed to be working! Now this pretty boy comes in and says a few charming words and all of a sudden her efforts were forgotten? How come this idiot gets all the credit?! Natsuki looked away in disappointment, but more than that, she felt betrayed.

"Heh. That's...that's great Yuri..." Monika half-heartedly responded.

"Y-you still didn't answer my question Monika..." Yuri continued.

"Oh. That's a long story, but the short version of it is that both of us are starting a club and we'd like to know if you're interested."

Yuri's face turned red. "Oh no..." she thought. "I-I'm already not good at talking to other people...w-what if there are people in the club that already don't like me..? I-I can't just reject them straight away either...uuuh what do I do?"

After what seemed like an eternity, Yuri finally responded.

"A...a club..? I-I don't know-"

"You see! I told you! She's already too busy with her boyfriend to have time for our stupid club! This was a waste of time; let's go!" Natsuki snapped. Monika turned to Yuri who looked considerably more worried.

"Natsuki! You didn't even give Yuri the chance to finish!" Monika chided. "I'm sorry, she's just having a bad day today; I apologise for her attitude."

"Oh no, that's fine. I don't even know what club you two are starting so..."

"We're starting a Literature Club! Natsuki came up with the idea of a reading club and we expanded it into both reading and writing poetry!" Yuri's eyes lit up. Poetry? Reading? She looked down at the book that she was holding. Maybe this whole club thing wasn't going to be that bad after all. "Basically you reminded me of the whole poem thing and Natsuki's manga kick-started the whole-MMPH!"

Monika was suddenly interrupted by a frantic Natsuki shoving her hand in front of Monika's mouth.

"MPH! Hey!" Monika annoyedly tried to pry Natsuki's hand away from her mouth. "What gives?!" Natsuki responded by pointing her eyes towards Yuri and giving a pleading look on her face.

"Oh, but manga isn't really a form of literature, though..." Yuri stated.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Natsuki shouted, causing nearby students to look. A tense silence carried on between the three girls for a few minutes before Natsuki finally broke it.

"Manga isn't literature?! Are you serious?!" Yuri had no idea what had gotten Natsuki this mad, but she was still scared out of her mind nonetheless.

"I-I..." the anxious girl muttered softly.

"Alright Natsuki, you need to calm down right now. You two are friends aren't you? I suspected it since you seem to know more about her than I do."

"No we aren't! We just did a Biology Project together because my partner Kei is an idiot and Yuri was the only person left who wasn't taken! Nothing more!" Natsuki rebutted, keeping her head down as tears started to form in her eyes. Yuri was taken aback by her statement, and now she too looked to be on the brink of tears. And also; that lowlife Kei was her table partner?! How did she not notice?! Then again she barely paid attention to anyone in her class anyway, but still; what a horrifying revelation!

"K-Kei?!" Yuri cried; her hands going up to her chest. By now, Monika had had enough.

"OKAY!" she snapped. "Look I don't know what's gotten the both of you so hostile and unlikable; you two are usually better and more understanding than this, but the bottom line is: Me, Natsuki and Sayori are starting a Literature Club. As you know: We need a minimum of four members to be official so those morons working the school system don't shut our fucking stupid ass down. I figured since you like reading and writing poetry so much: Why not invite you and get our fourth member right then and there? And look at that: Here we are now, asking you to join our club, so what do you say? You in?" Natsuki and Yuri looked at Monika in shock. The school sweetheart...swearing?! She really must be serious about this...Yuri thought for a good few minutes before finally giving her answer.

"I-I guess I don't mind spending a few hours after school reading with you guys..."

"Well then, I guess that settles it! We're a fucking club now! Christ, it was way easier when Sayori was around...now, if you two would excuse me, I need to talk to the subject heads about this and tell them that our club is legitimate now. You two go and sort things out; I'm sure you both said some things you didn't mean."

As the popular girl walked off towards the office block, Yuri and Natsuki were left standing uncomfortably next to each other. Both weren't keen on being the first to open their mouths.

"Uhm...N-Natsuki..."

"If you're going to apologize, don't! I don't need your apology. Freaking Monika shouldn't even have said that in the first place!" Yuri once again looked down at the ground, her eyes firmly planted on her blue school slippers.

"B-but..." Natsuki took a deep breath. "I was wrong about us not being friends, OK? I just...said it without thinking...I-I'm sorry..." the pink-haired girl practically mumbled out that last part. As she awkwardly shifted around, Yuri looked back up. She could tell that Natsuki was just as uncomfortable as the situation as she was.

"I-I'm sorry too...I didn't mean to disrespect your interests...while it may not be my cup of tea, I-I still think it's great that you enjoy it..."

"Oh I more than enjoy it!" Out of nowhere, Natsuki suddenly returned to her cheerful form, as if the past ten minutes didn't happen. "I read at least two volumes finish every day; even those that I've already read finish! I guess you could say I'm an expert on reading!" Yuri quietly chuckled at Natsuki's statement.

"What's so funny, huh?" Natsuki joked.

"N-nothing! I-I'm happy that you've found something you enjoy so much! I...I too enjoy reading as much as you do-"

"Wow, what a surprise!" Natsuki joked once again in her second attempt to get Yuri to lighten up. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to work as Yuri looked down for the third time today.

"Lighten up: I was only teasing..."

"I-is that so..."

More awkward silence.

"You know, it's nice to find someone who shares the same interests as me. I heard you write poems?"

"Oh yes!" Finally; the shy girl decided to respond without hesitation! "It-it's kind of my second hobby besides reading..."

"Yeah: Me too! Whenever I get tired of reading my manga-which is like NEVER-I usually like to jot down my thoughts for the day; it helps to get things off of my chest."

"I-I can relate to that...I always write one poem every day when I return home from school. Like you said-It helps me get some problems I faced off my chest..."

"I guess that's a lot to get off then!" Natsuki grinned, causing Yuri's face to turn bright red.

"A-Ah! N-Natsuki!"

"Hahaha!" Natsuki gave out a hearty laugh until she saw Yuri once again doing her signature move. "Sorry..." Natsuki looked off to the side. "FUCK! Why do all our conversations involve like twelve apologies and fifteen awkward silences?! This friendship thing is working out great, Monika!" she thought.

"Well, anyway...welcome to the Literature Club!" Natsuki tried her best to sound welcoming. Thankfully, it seemed to work as Yuri finally loosened up and smiled.

"T-thank you, Natsuki! I-I appreciate it. So when is our first club meeting?"

"I don't know; I'll have to ask Monika when I get home. I have detention today thanks to that stupid Kouichi. Although I can tell you with full certainty that it's not on Friday since it's like...you know, Good Friday and all? And I doubt it'd be tomorrow either since it's the Good Friday celebration and Monika's involved since she's in the Student Council and we can all go home by recess and read our books and write our poems, amirite?" This time, Yuri let out a small giggle at Natsuki's joke. Progress?

"I guess I'll see you on tomorrow?"

"O-oh-I'm not coming tomorrow..."

"Why not?"

"I-I'm not a fan of celebrations...I-I don't really like sitting on the floor for extended periods of time..."

"Hahaha-I wonder why..?" Natsuki asked playfully.

"Aha...I wonder why as well...although I don't think I should be asking you since you clearly don't have that problem!"

"Oooooh...I guess I deserve that. Well, anyway, see you on Monday then!"

"I-I guess so...uhm...b-bye Natsuki..." Yuri awkwardly waved.

"Yeah. Bye Yuri..." Natsuki waved back with equal awkwardness.

As Yuri watched the petite girl stroll of, she thought to herself with a lingering uncertainty. Could they really be as good as friends as Monika asked? This conversation in particular didn't start out strong, though to be fair Natsuki's hostility could be explained by the fact that she had a bad day like Monika mentioned. It seemed like their unexpected bond over their Biology project was just a mere fluke, but Yuri wasn't about to give up. The conversation still managed to end without any tension and with a few laughs. Sure, it was still awkward and Yuri still had the feeling Natsuki wasn't over the fact that she pretty much dissed her favourite genre of books, but at least Natsuki wasn't getting angry over every comment she made. That's something, right?

With a tired sigh, Yuri clutched her schoolbag as she headed for her next class.

...

"_MONIKA added CoolYori0410 to the group"_

"_MONIKA added You to the group"_

"_CoolYori0410 is typing..."_

After a long day of school plus added detention, Natsuki was very eager to go home. While looking at her phone, it turned out that Monika had added both her and Sayori to the group-chat for what will soon be their official club.

"_so, how did it go? Did you two managed to convince yuri to join?"_

"_Yep! I also spoke to the subject heads and Mrs. Chen gave me the greenlight! We're an official club now!"_

"_yayyyyyyyyyy! Im so happyyyyy! whens our first meeting?"_

"_Well, since tomorrow's a half day and Friday's a public holiday, I guess that means next Monday will be our first official meeting."_

"_OMG i cant wait!"_

"_JEEZ, IT'S NOT LIKE WE'RE RELATVIES YOU ONLY SEE ONCE A YEAR FOR CHRISTMAS, SAYORI!"_

"_natsuki, why do you type in all caps?"_

"_BECAUSE THAT'S WHO I AM. WHAT ABOUT YOU; WHY ARE YOU ALLERGIC TO PUNCTUATION AND CAPITAL LETTERS?"_

"_ehhh! thats mean natsuki!"_

Natsuki rolled her eyes as she added Sayori to her contacts.

"_WHATEVER. ANYWAYS, DO EITHER OF YOU HAVE YURI'S NUMBER? I LEFT IN SUCH A HURRY JUST NOW THAT I FORGOT TO ASK HER."_

"_Nope, sorry."_

"_I don't have it either...:("_

"_WELL SHIT. NOW HOW ARE WE GOING TO TELL HER OUR FIRST MEETING IS ON MONDAY?"_

"_Calm down, Natsuki. Can't we just tell her ourselves when we see her in school, you know; since we'll all be going to school on that day?"_

"_I GUESS YOU'RE RIGHT MONIKA. OH RIGHT! SAYORI, WHAT ABOUT YOU? DID YOU MANAGE TO RECRUIT YOUR PERSON OF INTEREST?"_

"_SAYORI is typing..."_

While waiting for Sayori's response, Natsuki decided to look through her contacts in case she did add Yuri's number some time ago and totally forgot about it.

"Let's see... "Y"...there we go: "YURI". I didn't even know I added her! Well, I guess that solves that problem."

"_You added YURI to the group"_

"_SAYORI is typing..."_

"Seriously? It's just a yes or no question! You can't half invite someone to a club, can you? How the hell does that work?"

"_Welcome, Yuri! I'm so glad you decided to join!"_

"_yuriiiiii! Im so happy youre here!"_

"_Hello everyone."_

"_SAYORI! DID YOU SERIOUSLY FORGET ABOUT MY QUESTION?"_

"_chill out homegirl, I was getting to it. I haven't seen him these past few days and Im not really comfortable with texting him or calling him yet...weve only just reconnected after losing contact for like the whole of high school."_

"_WAIT, HE? IT'S A GUY?!"_

"_yeah whats wrong with that?"_

"_NOTHING! IT JUST WOULD'VE BEEN NICE IF YOU GAVE US A HEADS UP!"_

"_Actually Natsuki, she did tell me yesterday while we were looking for Yuri in the library."_

"_FFS..."_

"_Oh! I almost forgot! Why weren't you in the library yesterday Yuri? I saw you leave the toilet in a hurry! Is everything alright?"_

"_I wasn't feeling well yesterday...I was feeling nauseous on my way to the library so I had to go and vomit. By the time I was done I wasn't in the mood to read anymore so I decided to go home. You two were looking for me yesterday?"_

"_YEP! AND YOU PRETTY MUCH WASTED OUR TIME."_

"_No you didn't Yuri. Anyways, now that you're in the group, I thought I'd let you know that the subject heads have approved my request and we're an official club now! Our first meeting is on Monday after school!"_

"_Noted. I look forward to it!"_

"_no need to be so formal yuri! were all friends here aren't we?"_

"_Sayori, it's "we're", not "were"..."_

"_FORGET ABOUT IT YURI, SAYORI'S TOO LAZY TO USE APOSTROPHES AND CAPITAL LETTERS."_

"_heyy!"_

"_ANYWAYS, I'M APPROACHING HOME SO IT'S TIME FOR ME TO TAKE A LONG ASS BATH. TTYL."_

Natsuki put her phone back in her skirt pocket as she walked up to her front door. Fumbling for her keys, she kept her ears peeled for any signs of Shinzo.

TV wasn't on-that's a good first sign.

Opening the door, Natsuki peered inside. No wallet on the dining table. No beers on the coffee table.

"Nice. I beat him home again. Hit me this time, fuckface..."

Natsuki locked the door behind her and took off her blazer. As she headed towards the bathroom, she made a detour to the kitchen first to check if the sink needed a cleaning. To her surprise, it was empty of beer bottles and dirty dishes.

"Oh, did he finally decide to do some of the housework around here? Dad of the month, dad of the motherfucking month!"

Stepping into her small and cramped bathroom, Natsuki stripped off her uniform and stared into the mirror. Turning around, the bruise from yesterday was still firmly imprinted on her back. At the very least, the bump was starting to decrease in size.

With a sigh, Natsuki turned on the shower and closed her eyes, letting it pour down on her like a waterfall.

...

"Dear...it's December...do you know what that means?"

"Err...Christmas is around the corner?"

"No, silly! Natsuki's birthday is approaching!"

"S-sorry...I've...it's...work."

"I know, I know, and I appreciate how much effort you've put in tough guy..."

"Thanks dear...so, Natsuki's birthday. Have you decided on what gift you were going to give to her?"

"Well, earlier today when I picked her up from playroom, she seemed very reluctant to let go of this manga her friend let her read. I told her to give it back since we were going home and she just threw a huge tantrum. So I figured, why not get her a few copies as a surprise."

"Wow. You are just the kindest, most thoughtful person I ever know. I just wanted to get her some Barbie doll or something."

"Don't be like that, Shinzo...I'm sure she'll appreciate your gift as much as mine! Natsuki's not an ungrateful child at all! Yes, she may be a bit feisty and jumpy at times, but our daughter's a good girl. You did that."

"We did that. Together."

"Anyways, that's not all I wanted to share. It IS December. Remember when we went to Garo Falls for our anniversary?"

"Literally one year ago, yes; how could I forget?"

"Well, I thought maybe we could take her there this year for holiday! And then we'll go right back home on her birthday and surprise her even more!"

"You are just...you're very thoughtful, you know that?"

"And you know just the right words to please a woman, don't you..."

The man and woman stared deeply into each other's eyes before locking lips.

"I love you..."

"I love you too..."

**End of Chapter Five**


	6. Chapter 6: Raindrops

"Yuri! Time to get up sweetie!"

"Mmm..."

The rays of the early morning sun blinded the sleepy girl as she stirred from her slumber. Within her limited morning vision, she could make out the shapes of two other women moving around in her room.

"Mom! Why's Yuki in my room again? Get her out please!"

"Why? Are you scared that I'll find your diary?"

"N-no! I-I don't even have a diary! Seriously, Mom, could you please get rid of this brat?"

"NNN!" Yuri's spunky little sister stuck out her tongue before trotting out of the room. Yuri's room was relatively spacious and her windows gave her a decent view of the streets and surrounding houses, though Yuri's was like a mansion compared to said houses. Yuri clumsily climbed out of her bed; a large queen sized bed with purple sheets and soft pillows. Next to it was her dresser and work station; on it were many neatly stacked piles of revision papers and inside a ceramic mug were a handful of exquisite pens that probably cost more than all her textbooks and lecture notes combined. There was also a display case with a painstakingly crafted knife lying inside, which itself was sitting atop a smaller drawer which presumably contained her other knives. On the far right was a medium sized computer monitor decorated with ghost stickers. Funnily enough, it was one of the cheaper items inside her room. Next to it sat her MacBook Air with a purple casing and an equally purple laptop bag. A large red eye sat right smack in the middle of the bag.

Yuri walked over to her dresser and grabbed her comb.

"Ugh...I hate my hair..." Yuri grumbled as she forcefully yanked her comb through her messy long hair.

"Why is that dear?" Yuna asked as she bent over to pick up some clothes. "Your hair is always beautiful."

"Yeah, but it's hard to keep straight, let alone make it look nice...I find myself spending more time doing my hair than my homework!"

"Well, that's the price to pay if you want to grow it out. Why do you think I cut mine short ages ago before I even had you?"

"I-I loved your long hair...you looked so beautiful in those old photos Mom...N-Not that I'm saying you aren't beautiful now..!"

"It's ok Yuri, I get what you mean...and I appreciate it; I really do, but it's too hard to keep properly especially since I have two girls who have the exact same problem-"

"ACK! MOM! MY HAIR IS CAUGHT IN MY BRUSH AGAIN!" Yuki's shrill voice squeaked from inside her room, causing both Yuri and Yuna to burst out laughing.

"Ahaha! I rest my case. Anyways, freshen up; breakfast's almost ready."

Yuri grabbed her lilac coloured towel and walked out of her room to the bathroom. Stepping into the shower, she removed her pyjamas and flicked on the shower tap, letting the water run for a few seconds before stepping in.

"Ah..." Yuri sighed as she felt the warm water trickle down her body. She faced the shower head, allowing the water to splash on her face before reaching for the shampoo.

"Oh..." Yuri's face fell as she saw the bandages on her left arm. The poor girl stood there for a good few minutes, unsure of what to do with her bandages. She knew that she would have to remove them to wash her arm, but doing so would result in tremendous pain. With extreme reluctance, Yuri unrolled the bandages and threw them into the sink. Looking at her cuts, most of them had healed, with the exception of...that one...Yuri was always a smart girl and she knew that she should get it checked soon, but that would also be a recipe for disaster. The doctor would call her mother and then she would know and then...

"No...No..." Yuri shook her head violently as if to wipe those thoughts out of her head. "Let's just focus on the important things first..." Clutching her chest, Yuri brought her hand closer to the shower water. She could feel her heart beating rapidly. In a flash, she pulled it under the shower water.

"Nghh..." the purple-haired girl groaned as the stinging sensation returned. However, after a few seconds, the pain subsided into mere numbness and Yuri carried on with her shower.

Following a steaming hot 10 minutes in the bathroom, Yuri slid her uniform on as carefully as possible. As she got to her arms, she made absolutely sure that she didn't go too hard on her scars.

"Hooh...okay...I can do this..."

Her fingers shaking, Yuri gingerly brought the left sleeve up her forearm. As the cloth brushed past some of her scars, it sent tingling feelings up her arm, but nothing too painful for her to handle; Sure enough, the uniform was fully on Yuri in no time. "Alright Mom, I'm coming!"

As Yuri walked down the stairs, the smell of bacon and pancakes entered her nostrils. "Ooh...It-it smells good Mom."

"Why thanks dear! Oh-could you help me with the hotcakes? I gotta go help Yuki fix her bow before she tears the entire house down."

"S-sure Mom..." With that, Yuna headed up the stairs to Yuki's room, leaving Yuri standing at the stove with a pan in hand. Yuri was by no means an expert cook, but hotcakes were relatively easy to handle; the purple-haired girl managed to scoop out her first batch of hotcakes with ease and set them on the large plate which was already filled with hotcakes.

"Easy does it..." Yuri told herself as she held the frying pan back over the stove.

As she reached over to the batter to add in another batch, Yuna came down the stairs with Yuki who was still fidgeting with her bow. Something about her mother's face told Yuri that something happened upstairs-her mother was no longer in the same cheerful mood she was a few minutes ago.

"IT'S STILL NOT STRAIGHT!"

"You know what: I just heard from your big sister that parallel fashion is no longer IN fashion, so leaving your bow crooked is the new in-thing, isn't that right Yuri?"

"I-I..."

"Oh please Mom! You seriously think I will believe anything that comes out of her mouth when it comes to fashion? All she wears at home are those stupid cotton sweaters-even when it's a ga-zillion degrees hot! Maybe that's why you're so moody all the time!" Yuri could only look down in embarrassment following her younger sister's insult.

"YUKI!" Yuna's voice suddenly boomed through the entire household, making both sisters jump. A deafening silence followed. Neither of the two girls dared to move while their mother stared them down with soul-piercing eyes; Yuri stood in the place, her head bowed and on the verge of tears, Yuki angrily pouting as she shifted in place.

After what felt like a good ten years, Yuna finally opened her mouth.

"Apologise to your sister." She said in a firm, no nonsense tone. Yuna may be small in stature, but when she raised her voice, even the tallest of people would be silenced. Something about her tone radiates authority. Even Yuri could tell that her little sister was ready to crack at any moment.

"I'm sorry Yuri..." Yuki muttered almost inaudibly, and while Yuri could certainly hear it, her mother wasn't too happy about the volume.

"LOUDER!"

"I'm sorry Yuri!"

"Thank you. Now, would you rather go to school with a crooked bow or with a red handprint on your face?"

Yuki grumpily clutched her bow.

"Good. Make sure it stays that way." With that, the three girls sombrely sat down at the kitchen table and ate their breakfast without so much as a word. Their mouths may have been going at it with the same action, but all three pairs of eyes were in different worlds.

Yuna's eyes with narrow and her eyebrows were pointing downwards. They avoided contact with the other two pairs of eyes.

Yuki's eyes darted from her mother's to her sister's; squinting when they came to the sister's, and then back to the mother's.

Yuri's eyes simply hung low in shame, trying their damndest to fight back a tidal wave of tears. They dared not look at the other two; only focused on whatever was going into their owner's mouth.

The air was so tense, so fragile that even the littlest of noises could-

"Pat...pat..."

-shatter it...

The three women turned to their kitchen window to find raindrops pelting down hard on it.

"Oh shit..." Yuna said under her breath. "Eat up girls: We wouldn't want to be caught in this now would we?" Both girls quietly obeyed the woman in charge and quickly finished up their breakfast. Within minutes they were standing at the driveway with their bags waiting as their mother's car pulled up. Without saying a word, the two girls hurriedly entered the back of the car.

"Yuri, do you mind if you're just a few minutes later for school? I'm thinking of dropping Yuki off at her Elementary School first to make sure she gets in safe."

"N-no, I don't mind at all."

"Alright then; let's go."

...

"I am surprised and actually kinda impressed that you were on time today. Well, more impressed than surprised if that makes you feel better."

"Aww thanks Mio! No I actually finally decided to set my alarm clock for once and I'm in a pretty good mood today too: I didn't burn myself with my own breakfast, I didn't run into Kouichi, and I'm actually confident about our Biology project!"

It was yet another miserable Monday morning and the only person that wasn't feeling miserable was ironically Sayori; who was happily seating in her chair next to Mio; who unfortunately was looking quite miserable.

"Well, I don't want to take away your happiness, but I'm not doing so great..." Mio dejectedly said. And it seems like she had already failed as Sayori's face fell slightly.

"Oh, what's wrong?" Sayori had a sinking feeling in her gut as she asked that: It was Mio after all.

Mio didn't respond as she continued staring ahead.

"It's...is...is it..."

"Y-yeah...We...we got into a fight this morning and...I'm just worried for her, you know? Plus my Grandfather wants nothing to do with her either...it's just hard for the both of us..."

"Well, if you ever need help, I'm here. You know that, right?"

"Of course I do Sayori: I trust you with my life. And I can't thank you enough for all the times you've helped me, but this...please don't take this the wrong way, but I feel like this is something I have to do on my own."

"Oh, of course! Don't worry about it; I understand that this is personal to you and I respect your decision, but please: At least allow me to cheer you up whenever you feel down?"

"Hahaha, you aren't Sayori if you don't do that!"

"Yay! Well let's get started straight away!"

"Erm-"

"I've got a hilarious one! Ready? What's the difference between a piano and a tuna fish?"

"I don't-"

"You can tune a piano, but you can't piano a tuna! Ehehe!"

"Sayori...you didn't even give me a chance to think!"

"Oh, I didn't? Whoops..."

"But-you did it: I'm amused! Consider myself cheered up!"

"Phew! I was worried that wasn't going to work. You feeling better?"

"A little bit. Thanks."

"No problem! Oh-shh! Mrs. Chen is here!"

Both girls turned their heads to see Mrs. Chen walking in with a big brown folder. "Oh this is it Mio! Time to see if we're finally Biology masters!"

"Don't get your hopes too high up; she doesn't look happy..." Sayori looked back at Mrs. Chen. Mio was right: She WAS frowning and at the brown folder.

"Ok. Good morning class."

"_Good morning Mrs. Chen..." _the class droned, with the exception of Sayori who greeted her in her usually cheery way.

"I have your mind maps with me...and I have to say...I'm quite disappointed with some of you, but I won't say who because I don't want to embarrass you. However, your midterms are coming up soon; and don't forget: next year? Yeah. The big one. When are you people going to wake up?!" The class stayed quiet as Mrs. Chen laid into them. Sayori looked down while Mio rolled her eyes and looked off to the side.

"All of you better buck up because this right here? This is it. If you think that you can relax this year because it's only your junior year, then let me tell you that this was exactly what the seniors thought one year ago when they were seated in your chairs and right now, some of them are not looking too good." Mrs. Chen looked around the class. Everyone's faces were solemn.

"Well, no use dwelling on anything; back to the lesson. So I've marked your assignments and yes, they aren't that good, but there are some that ARE worthy of praise: Miko and..." Mrs. Chen went on handing out the mind maps to those that scored better; all the while Sayori was tensely waiting for her and Mio's name to get called out.

"And our last A grade goes to Yuri and Natsuki."

"Nuts..."

Sayori looked on sadly as she watched Natsuki walk from the back of the class to collect her mind map. As the two made eye contact, she forced a smile and held a thumbs up. "Congrats Natsuki!" she whispered loudly, to which the pink haired girl simply rolled her eyes and walked back to her seat next to-

-Kei?

Sayori whirled back to Yuri's seat. No sign of the timid girl anywhere.

Turning back to Natsuki, she pointed at Yuri's seat and mouthed the words "Where is she?" Natsuki shrugged. Sayori turned back to her desk. "It isn't like Yuri to be late...I hope she's okay..."

Sayori's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Mrs. Chen.

"And I do have a "Most Improved" award, except not really, but Sayori and Mio: I have to say, you two really put a lot of effort into this! Keep it up!"

"Woahs" came from all around the classroom. "DAMN Sayori!" Kei called out from the back; they clearly weren't expecting Sayori to get praise from her Biology teacher, let alone ANY teacher. Sayori gingerly walked to the front of the class, blushing more and more.

"How come you get all the "Woahs" and I don't? I put in as much effort as you did!" Mio annoyedly whispered as Sayori returned to her seat.

"Ehehe..." Sayori weakly laughed. Did the class really think THAT lowly of her? Was she nothing more than a goofball who didn't care about grades? Clearly that's what they were thinking, given the surprised response of everyone.

"Ugh, whatever. Just remember to thank me when you collect your noble peace prize from Stephen Hawking." Mio sighed, not realising Sayori was wiping tears away from her eyes. "Yeah...I will..." Sayori half-heartedly responded.

"Alright, the rest of the mind maps are on my table; please collect them after the class, for now, let's finish Photosynthesis and then i can give you your homework for today."

"Aww..." the class groaned.

"No, no; take a look at how many of your mind maps are still on the table: You lot clearly still haven't grasped the jist of this topic yet. Now; focus. Thank you." With that, Mrs. Chen turned back to face the whiteboard and continued on with her lesson.

"I-I'm sorry I'm late..."

Or not?

Everyone turned their heads to see a soaked Yuri panting at the doorway; her usually neatly combed hair now a mess, her blazer slightly unbuttoned and her shoes in her hand.

"What happened to you, Yuri? You're usually on time." Mrs. Chen stood on her spot, crossing her arms. Once again, the usually sniggering could be heard. Yuri stood in the doorway with her head down.

"I...I..."

"What's the matter Yuri? Were you up all night reading your trashy novels?" Kei shouted from the back, causing the entire class to burst out into laughter, with the exception of Sayori; who looked away in pity, Mio; who looked disgustedly at everyone around her, and Natsuki; who looked like she was ready to kill everybody in the class.

"Kei! That was really rude. See me after class!" Mrs. Chen snapped. "Don't worry about it Yuri; it's your first time being late so I won't give any punishments, but please be punctual in the future, alright?" Yuri nodded before rushing to her seat at the back.

Finally settled in, Yuri took out a small handkerchief from her bag and started drying herself, before she felt a tap on her shoulder. Jumping in shock, she turned to see that it was Kei.

"You caused me to get scolded by Mrs. Chen you fucking bitch!" he whispered harshly. "What, you think since you got an A for your shitty assignment; you can just waltz right in whenever you feel like it?"

"I-I don't even k-know w-what y-you're talking about, K-K-Kei!" Yuri found herself once again trying to fight back tears as Kei continued his nonstop barrage of insults.

"Your stupid assignment! Your ugly mind map with those ugly drawings; God you're such a fucking weirdo-who draws in their spare time; only a freak like you would do that!"

Yuri looked behind Kei to see Natsuki looking down. As Natsuki turned to look, the two girls made eye contact and Yuri gave a pleading look.

Unfortunately, Yuri could only look down in shock and anguish as Natsuki looked away, keeping her head down.

"Hey is that your notepad?" Kei suddenly dove into Yuri's bag and pulled out her notepad. "A-AH! N-NO! P-PLEASE!" Yuri tried to grab Kei's arm, but it was no use. Kei snatched the notepad out of Yuri's grip and opened it up.

"K-KEI! P-Please...s-stop..." Yuri continued to struggle against Kei's grip, desperately trying to reach her notepad, but Kei was already flipping through the pages. The poor girl could only watch as Kei's eyes changed from that of malice, to shock, to humour.

"What the fuck Yuri!? Poems?! Drawings of knives?! You really are a sick freak! HAHAHA! Hey Natsuki, check this out!" Kei slid the notepad onto Natsuki's desk, but the pink-haired girl refused to look, continuing to keep her head lowered. By now, Yuri had completely given up and returned to her seat in shame. "No? Okay then-Hey Goro!"

"Yo!" Goro replied from the side of the classroom.

"Take a look at Yuri's notepad!" Kei tried to fling to notepad across the room, but Mrs. Chen intercepted it, catching it with her hands.

Silence filled the classroom. All eyes were on Mrs. Chen, Kei and Yuri; who was now a complete mess; tears streaking down her face.

Mrs. Chen looked down at the page Kei had flipped to before shaking her head and closing it. "You two..." she said, looking at Kei and Goro, her voice dripping with venom. "Get out of my sight...NOW!" the black-haired woman roared. Goro groaned as he got out of his seat. Meanwhile, Kei looked menacingly at Yuri before following his fellow mouth-breather out of the class. "And you meet me after class too Goro! You hear me?!" Mrs. Chen shouted before turning back to the class.

More silence. All eyes were now on Yuri, making the timid girl feel worse and worse.

Finally, after a painstakingly long sixty seconds, Mrs. Chen finally reopened her mouth. "Yuri? Do you need to excuse yourself for a bit?"

Without responded, Yuri rushed out of the class, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. Sayori looked on worriedly, while Natsuki looked down in guilt. Sniggers once again shot out from random directions.

"ENOUGH! Don't make me throw all of you into detention with those two trouble-makers!" Mrs. Chen snapped, hushing the class instantly.

Yuri rushed to the nearest bathroom. Entering one of the stalls, she slammed it shut before sinking to the ground. Curling up into a ball, she cried bitterly, thinking about what Kei had said: Those...nasty things...

What if he was right?

Actually, scratch that; he IS right. She did do those things. She did draw sketches of her favourite knives and write poems in her free time...she is...a freak.

But...why? Why did he feel the need to do that? Just knowing that you're a freak would be enough; you didn't need everyone else knowing about it too!

Yuri reached into her skirt pocket.

"N-no!" Yuri suddenly jerked her hand away, putting it under her butt.

"Yes. You know you want too..."

"No! I can't do it! I won't..."

"But why not? Don't you love doing it? Why don't you prove to Kei that you really are a freak?"

"I-I'M NOT! S-SHUT UP!"

"Ha...look at yourself...seated on the floor in a heap, your classmates are all making fun of you, your so-called friend didn't even stick up for you...you really are a broken, pathetic person..."

Yuri suddenly sat up. Her voice was right. While Kei was harassing her, Natsuki simply sat there without doing a thing. Fighting against this, she shook her head violently.

"I-I'm not listening to you! N-Natsuki is a nice girl!"

"Then why didn't she do anything to stop that idiot? If she was really your friend, she would have used your notepad and smacked the shit out of him! But what did she do?"

Yuri stayed quiet.

"Tell me: What did she do? I'm not leaving until you admit it!"

"S-she s-sat there...b-but that doesn't mean anything! She's...she was probably afraid of Kei!"

"Alright, I admit it: Kei's a pretty threatening guy, but still: That's two of you and only one of him-considering the fact if she were to help, which she obviously did not! And not to mention Sayori; your future Vice-President of the Literature Club? She sat there not doing shit either! All she did was look on in pity-and for good reason!"

"S-Stop! L-leave me alone!"

"Y-Yuri? You in there?" a voice suddenly called out from outside the toilet. Yuri quickly hid her knife in her skirt pocket and wiped her eyes.

"Speak of the devil...well, I'll leave you two to it...you two have a lot of things to sort out..."

"I-I'm coming in..." Yuri opened her stall door to see Natsuki walking in, a look of guilt plastered all over her face. The two girls stood in the middle of the girls' toilet, staring at each other awkwardly, until finally Natsuki opened her mouth.

"Are...are you okay?"

"Uh, y-yeah. I'm fine..."

"Err, no you're not. The last time I saw you, you were rushing out of the class crying, so-no: You are clearly NOT okay. Do you want to talk about it?"

"N-no...L-like I said...I-I'm fine now, b-but thanks for your concern!" Yuri tried to leave the bathroom, but Natsuki stopped her, firmly gripping on to her left arm.

"At-at least let me apologise..." Natsuki said, looking down in shame.

"T-there's nothing for you to apologise for..." Yuri coldly replied.

"NNN! W-WHY MUST YOU ALWAYS DO THIS TO YOURSELF?! I-I'M TRYING TO APOLOGISE FOR MY ACTIONS, COULD YOU AT LEAST LISTEN?!"

Yuri was taken aback by Natsuki's sudden outburst. Nonetheless, she relented; putting her arms down by her side.

"THANK YOU! Now...I-I'm sorry for not doing anything...I-I was just...It was just..."

"Just what?" Yuri interrupted.

"LET ME SPEAK! It was just; I didn't know how to react! K-Kei is...he's..."

"You're...you're putting the blame on someone else." Yuri looked away disapprovingly.

"I-!" Natsuki seethed in anger. "WILL YOU LISTEN TO ME?! Kei's a scary guy, alright? I wished I had stuck up for you there; I really did...and I'm sorry for not being a good friend back there..."

"F-friend?" Yuri muttered softly. Natsuki apparently failed to hear that and continued with her apology.

"...and I'm also sorry for not mentioning that he was my table partner; I could tell back on Wednesday that you were freaking out when I mentioned his name."

"Oh-oh...y-you noticed?" Yuri's cheeks burned red once more.

"Yeah...but it's okay; none of the girls like him anyway, not even Sayori. That's how you know there's no hope for this guy; when even Sayori can't find a reason to like him." Natsuki joked, trying to lighten the mood. Thankfully, it seemed like Yuri had calmed down.

"Hu...that IS bad...

"I know, right! Anyways, what I'm trying to say is; I really screwed up back there and I'm not trying to make any excuses for my lack of involvement, but this is the guy that I have to sit with for the next year or so and I don't want to get in his bad graces too. B-but! I-I'm still sorry and I hope that you can forgive me."

Yuri pondered for a few seconds. Natsuki really betrayed her earlier, but now that she thought about it, if she were in Natsuki's shoes and had to stand up against someone like Kei, she'd probably stay silent too. Besides, Natsuki looked genuinely sorry about her actions or lack thereof and it seemed like she was determined to be a better friend, something Yuri desperately needed. "I-I'm not going to lose another potential friend!" Yuri shouted internally.

"I...I forgive you." Yuri said with a small smile. "I understand where you're coming from and I'm sorry for not giving you a chance to explain yourself..."

"Hey, it's fine. I'm guilty of that sometimes too."

"Erm!" Yuri suddenly raised her voice. Curious as to what she had in mind, Natsuki stayed silent.

"Yeah, Yuri?"

"You said that you didn't like sitting with Kei...Well, you...you could always..." Yuri struggled to form her sentence, her face turning redder by the millisecond. Natsuki tried her best not to laugh.

"Hehe...I could always what?" Natsuki asked jokingly, causing Yuri to smile a little.

"Huhu...y-you could always...s-sit with me..." Yuri blushed.

"Aw shucks, of course I'd love to sit with you; you're my friend!"

"R-Really?" Yuri looked off to the side.

"You know what, yeah. We're friends." Natsuki let out a wide grin, which Yuri reciprocated, albeit much smaller and reserved. An awkward silence ensued.

All of a sudden, the school bell ringed.

"Well, that's the bell for second period...say; during lunch, would you like to eat with me?" Natsuki offered.

"O-oh...Th-that's okay Natsuki, I-I'm having lunch with Dean."

Natsuki kept quiet, trying her best to suppress an explosion growing inside of her. "Okay then...go and...Enjoy lunch with him. I guess I'll see you at the club then."

"Oh. Right: The club. I-I forgot all about it...y-yeah...I'll...I'll see you there..." Yuri managed a small smile before exiting the toilet, leaving Natsuki alone with her thoughts.

"Stupid fucking Dean! Oh, so I talk to you when you seem like you needed someone, all of a sudden this dickhead comes with his huge dick and now I'm just a piece of trash-like I'm a one-use item meant to be discarded?! UGH!" Natsuki shouted, realising that she had been shouting at her own reflection in the mirror. "The fuck are you looking at?! You don't have to deal with everyone around you using you like a goddamn tampon, and treating you like garbage!"

Natsuki massaged her temples with her index fingers.

"Deep breaths...deep breaths..."

With a tired sigh, Natsuki washed her face and stepped out of the toilet.

...

Raindrops continued to pour down on the school building as morning turned to afternoon. By the time the final bell sounded off, it was heavier than ever.

Students were pouring out of their classes, eager to go home, with the exception of one particular student.

Sayori.

The entire day she had been waiting impatiently for this exact moment. She barely paid any attention in class; she couldn't eat anything during recess, and those final thirty minutes of her last class, combined History, her heart was almost beating out of her chest. Finally: Something she could look forward to with her life!

The bubbly girl practically sprinted as fast as her legs could allow her to the senior's block, taking care that she did not run into anyone on the way.

"Sorry! Get out of the way! Vice-President coming through!"

Upon reaching the new clubroom, Sayori burst through the doors.

"HEY GUYS!"

The empty classroom greeted her. Well, empty bar the teacher still at his desk tidying up his materials.

"Jesus kid, you gave me a heart attack!"

"Ehehe, s-sorry..." Sayori put her index fingers together.

"Also, are you the one that owns the Manga collection?"

"Uh, no it's not me."

"Well, can you tell whoever owns it that their box takes up way to much space in the closet? I'm tired of having to move it every day to accommodate room for my students' files."

"Uhm, y-yes sir!" Sayori saluted the teacher. In response, he smiled and shook his head before leaving. Sayori quickly walked over to the closet and opened the doors. Sure enough, Natsuki's Manga box was on the top shelf.

"Oh no...how's she going to reach it now?" Sayori tried jumping to get the box, but she wasn't exactly the tallest person either.

'Hup! Come on...hup!"

After twelve whole jumps, Sayori was exhausted. "I hope she doesn't get angry..."

Out of nowhere, Natsuki walks into the clubroom right on cue. Taken completely by surprise, Sayori slammed the closet doors shut and put her back up against them. "H-hi Natsuki! Excited for your first day at the club?" Natsuki stopped in the doorway with a confused expression on her face.

"Can't say that I'm exactly looking forward to it anymore-What's in the closet, Sayori? Did you kill someone?"

"Yes! I-I mean no! I mean, I-"

"Sigh...step aside please." Natsuki pushed Sayori aside in a huff and swung open the closet doors. "Where's my manga?"

Sayori nervously pointed to the top shelf. Natsuki looked up and then immediately looked back at Sayori, her eyes filled with rage.

"It-it wasn't me! It was the teacher that put it up there! He-he said it took up too much space and he had to move it down!"

"Okay, OKAY! STOP SCREAMING IN MY EAR! And besides, couldn't you have moved it down for me when you got here?"

"I tried, but I'm too short!"

"Boo hoo, what a nightmare!"

"S-sorry..." Sayori quickly apologised.

"Anyways, where's Yuri and Monika? Shouldn't the club president be on time?"

"Natsuki-we haven't designated a timeslot yet-"

"I-I'm sorry I'm late!" Both girls spun around to see Yuri rush into the future clubroom with a panicked expression on her face.

"Yuri!" Sayori immediately rushed over to hug the lavender lady, making her jump. Natsuki rolled her eyes at the sight of it.

"A-Ah! Wha-what are you doing?" Yuri tried to pry Sayori off of her, but that only made Sayori sink herself further into the hug.

"Are you okay? Are you feeling any better? Do you need someone to talk to?" Sayori presented Yuri with an avalanche of questions, failing to notice her face was sinking into Yuri's-

"S-Sayori!" Yuri quickly pushed Sayori off of her, her face heating up. "I-I'm fine, t-thank you for asking..."

"Eh? Are you sure? You looked pretty upset back there."

"She said she's fine, Sayori." Natsuki said from behind her.

"Well, if you're ever upset again, let me know: I'm sure I can find some way to cheer you up!" Sayori beams, resulting in Natsuki rolling her eyes once again. "Oh, and-you aren't late Yuri! We actually haven't settled on a timing for our club yet, so you have nothing to worry about!"

"Oh, well alright then..." Yuri said awkwardly. Sensing that she had solved everything, Sayori smiled and walked over to the teacher's desk, leaving Yuri and Natsuki together.

"H-Hi Natsuki." Yuri greeted timidly. "I'm...I'm glad you could make it..."

"Me too...and hi to you too..." Natsuki greeted back.

Oh, not this again.

"Well, I-I'm going to go read my Manga. I'll be by the closet if you need me." Natsuki quickly dismissed the all too familiar awkward conversation and scurried to the closet, while Yuri decided to find a seat to do some reading.

Deciding on a random table on the right side of the classroom, Yuri set her belongings down and took out a book from her school bag. It was one most people were familiar with: The Portrait of Markov. Everyone in school saw Yuri neck deep in this book at least twice and some people didn't hesitate to make fun of her for it. Still, it was her favourite book of all time and nothing was going to change that.

"Ugh! Come on!"

Yuri looked up to see what the commotion was all about. From her seat, she could see Natsuki in the closet, trying desperately to get her box down from the top shelf. "I should probably help her..." Yuri thought as she got up from her seat. "Uhm, do you need help, Natsuki?" Yuri asked gently as she approached the closet.

"Why? You think I'm too short or something?" the pink-haired girl retorted.

"N-No! I-I was just trying to help!"

"Well, I don't need your help, so you can go and read your books now."

Defeated, Yuri retreated back to her seat.

"Well that went nowhere, nice going dumbass..." Shaking the voice out of her head, Yuri opened her book and tried to focus on reading, but she made it less than half a page before she was interrupted once again. This time, it was the clubroom door opening, revealing a worried Monika.

"I'm super sorry I'm late, girls. I was caught up in schoolwork and I had a meeting with the council."

"Wow-the president's already late on her face day! If this keeps up, I'm sure we'll be on the school's "Top five clubs you should join" list!" Natsuki sarcastically said from the closet.

"Well, I'm sorry Natsuki, but it's not like you had anything important to do after school." Monika said, clearly irritated. As Monika entered the clubroom, everyone collectively decided to stop their activities and gathered around their president.

"What should we do for our first day, Monika?" Sayori enthusiastically asked, her eyes filled with glee.

"Well, I thought that for our first day we shouldn't do too much yet; I don't want to stress you guys out already, so I suppose we can do whatever we want; read a book, write some poems, so long as it's related to Literature!"

"I-I have something that might help." Yuri suddenly spoke up, but she quickly retreated behind her bangs when she realised everyone was looking at her. "Uh-uhm...I'll go get it..." Yuri rushed to her seat and pulled out a plastic bag from her schoolbag. Inside it was a bottle of red wine.

"What the fuh..." Natsuki said, her mouth hanging open in shock.

"UWAH! YURI! THAT'S ILLEGAL!" Sayori leapt over to Yuri's seat and snatched the bottle out of the poor girl's hands. "Are you crazy? This will get us all killed!" Sayori looked around for a place to hide the bottle, while Yuri sunk into her seat, her small flame of confidence quickly snuffing out.

"Err, Sayori...I don't think a simple glass of wine will get us killed..." Monika joked nervously, trying to alleviate the tension in the clubroom.

"It will if any of the teachers catch us! Quick, Natsuki-help me find a place to hide this!"

"That's not what I-" Monika tried to defend Yuri, but was cut off by Natsuki herself.

"Sayori, Yuri was just trying to offer-"

"Natsuki! You aren't helping me!"

Natsuki let out an agitated sigh. "You know what, fine. I know a perfect place to store this wine bottle: The bag of the person who brought it here!" Natsuki brought the conversation back to Yuri, who was left out of the entire conversation. Instead, she sat there in her seat, looking down, her as face red as a tomato.

"No way! What if they catch Yuri with it? She'll get detention for sure!"

"Look, Sayori, why don't we-" Monika again tried to step it, but Sayori stayed relentless.

"Well, it looks like I have no choice." Sayori turned to face the trash bin.

"I swear to god don't." Natsuki reached forward to stop the vice-president, but it was too late. Sayori threw the entire bottle into the bin.

What followed was a painful silence. Sayori turned back to face the class with a triumphant look on her face. Monika stared at Sayori, speechless. Natsuki brought her palm to her face and sighed. Yuri looked at the trash bin in horror, before swiftly returning to her book, hiding her head behind it.

"How...how much was that..." Natsuki finally asked, breaking the silence.

"It's wine Natsuki. What do you think?" Monika responded.

"Well, whatever the cost is, there is no way in hell I'm digging it out of there."

"Phew. I'm glad that issue is solved! Now we can go back to our activities!" Sayori proclaimed proudly, somehow ignoring what she just did.

"I-you know what, sure. You did good Sayori. Congratulations." Natsuki replied sarcastically before returning to the closet.

"Aww, thanks Natsuki!" Sayori blushed.

Monika looked over to Yuri, whose face was still buried in her book. A part of her wanted to scold Sayori for shooting down Yuri's suggestion, but she looked so happy with herself, like she just did God's work. Did she really want to take that joy away from her by reprimanding her? She's just too innocent and naive to understand these types of social situations-In her mind she probably thought it was just a mishap and that she solved it, but she didn't realise the effect it had on Yuri. Maybe a little telling off would do it? Oh, but look how happy Sayori is...

"I-I can't do it..." Monika relented.

"Huh, can't do what Monika?" Apparently, Sayori overheard her statement.

"Oh, err, nothing! Anyways, thanks for looking out for the club, Sayori."

"Hehe, you're welcome!" Sayori blushed at Monika's compliment. "I'm just being a good vice-president, that's all!" A very loud scoff could be heard from inside the closet.

"She means "Thank you Sayori for being helpful!" isn't that right Natsuki?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

"Anyways, could we discuss some stuff alone? It's with regard to the club and its future."

"Sure!"

The duo made their way over to the teacher's table.

"So, what's on your mind?" Sayori asked.

"Sayori, I'm happy to start a club and all, and I know today is just the first day, but we really can't do nothing for the rest of our meetings. I know I said reading and writing are great ideas, but those are more towards the personal side; writing I know is super personal and reading...well I can see Natsuki doesn't want anyone messing up her manga and Yuri looks like she wants to be left alone."

"I know...I'd wish she open up more. I wonder why she's still so timid and reserved; I mean, I tried to be friendlier to her but that's clearly not working out!" Sayori lamented. In response, Monika squinted, but quickly got rid of that expression: not now, at least.

"Y-yeah, I wonder why...Anyway, do you have any ideas of what we should do as a club? Because reading books and writing poems isn't going to get us anywhere and we really need to be recognised by the time the festival starts."

"Well, I think our first move would be to get a new member. I'm sure it would boost the morale of the club knowing that people are keen on joining!"

"But Sayori, it's only our first day."

"Exactly! We need as many people as we can get before the festival, so when people who go to the festival see that our club has many members, it will increase their confidence on joining our club!"

"I don't think that's how it-"

"And I know just the person to recruit!"

"Oh yeah, I forgot; you're friend. Well, has he said yes?"

"I haven't spoken to him yet, but I'll make sure I get to him tomorrow!"

"Well, just make sure he's happy with the idea of joining a club in the first place: You don't want to force anyone in; that'll just ruin the entire mood of the club."

"Don't worry, I already told you; he's super nice and open-minded, I'm sure he'll love it!"

"Alright then, but we still haven't found an answer to my question yet."

"Maybe we should start with some icebreakers? I know the four of us have already met on a few occasions before this, but we still have a lot to learn about each other."

"That's...actually a great idea Sayori! We should probably do it tomorrow when your friend joins so we can kill two birds with one stone."

"Yep! That's exactly what I had in mind too! I guess great minds really do think alike!"

"Ahaha...I suppose so...But we're not done yet. We still have to make sure if the other two are okay with this."

"How about we ask them for suggestions as well? Maybe they can come up with something equally as good as our ideas."

"Of course. Let's go round them up."

With that conversation done and dusted, Monika cleared her throat and addressed her other members.

"Ahem-Okay everyone!" Yuri peered from over her book, while Natsuki peeked her head from out of the closet. "Sayori here has a very special announcement to make!"

"Uwah! I-I do?" Sayori's face suddenly flew into panic.

"Don't be nervous, Sayori. Come on." Monika encouraged.

"Erm...o-okay then...so I would like to say that I am...bringing in...a new...member!"

"WHAT?! That was fast." Natsuki and Yuri reacted almost instantly to the sound of that.

"Oh...oh dear..." Yuri said quietly, her voice sounding shaky.

"Ehh? What's so bad about that idea?" Sayori asked, slightly dejected. Natsuki was the first to speak up.

"N-nothing! It's...it's just...we still haven't even gotten to know each other that much yet, and all of a sudden you're throwing in your friend? He's going to think we're all a bunch of losers! Well, except maybe Monika."

"I'm...going to take that as a compliment." Monika said. "But that brings me to my second point. Sayori and I have been coming up with some ideas for activities we can do as a club and so far we have icebreakers from Sayori. Do you two have any ideas in mind?"

Natsuki thought for a while before speaking up.

"Well, since I came up with the idea for a book club, I figured; why not we have an open book discussion? You know: We just bring our favourite books to the club and we share them! It's a good way to find out everyone's interests and preferences."

"Mhm...mhm...yeah! That's a great suggestion, Natsuki!" Monika happily said. As expected, Natsuki quickly grew flustered at Monika's compliment.

"W-well of course it is! I already told you; I'm a pro at these sorts of things!"

"But Anon doesn't know he has to bring a book on his first day." Sayori pointed out.

"Oh-Now I remember who he is: He was in the same class as me last year!" Monika said.

"Then you'll know how much of a sweetheart he is!"

"Ugh. It's still a boy and boys in our school are just a bunch of idiots." Natsuki said.

"Hey! Don't say that about Anon, I assure you; he's really nice!"

"So is every other boy when they meet a bunch of girls. Anyway, what about you, Monika? What has our club president got in store for us?"

"Well, I wasn't thinking of a straight up group activity, I was thinking more on the side of a bunch of mini-activites; more on the small scale so Anon can get settled down tomorrow. Since Sayori said that he's not going to bring a book, maybe we should just talk about the books we like first before moving on to bringing the books; that can be shifted to the future where we're all a little more comfortable with each other. You're okay with that change, right Natsuki?"

"Eh, I wasn't planning on sharing my manga with him anyway."

"Good, I'm glad you agree!"

"So, what're your ideas for your mini-activities then?"

"We could all do a little something for him! I'm planning on having us sit in a rectangle or a circle and we can just talk and get to know each other a little better. It's an icebreaker involving all of us, plus Anon as a bonus."

"I'll settle bringing him in!" Sayori cheerfully suggested.

"Hmm. Well then, I think I'll bake up some cupcakes for all of us-"

"CUPCAKES?! YAY!" Sayori started cheering all of a sudden, causing the other three girls to react in shock.

"Jesus, Sayori! What was that for?!" Natsuki angrily demanded.

"I didn't know you could bake, Natsuki! That's such a good idea! You should bake cupcakes for every meeting!"

"You're just saying that so you can have something to eat, aren't you? You don't even care that it will help make everyone feel better!"

"Ehehe, n-no...that's not true at all..."

While Sayori and Natsuki bickered over the cupcake idea, Monika looked over to Yuri and noticed that they had completely left her out of the conversation once again. The shy girl looked like she had a few ideas to share, but with the energy levels of Natsuki and Sayori at an all time high, she couldn't find the opportunity to share them.

"What about you, Yuri? Do you have an idea you would like to share?" Monika asked gently, trying not to spook the girl.

Didn't work.

"M-me? Oh, err...n-not really?"

"Don't be shy, Yuri! We're open to suggestions!" Sayori encouraged.

"Ah, w-well, t-they're not that good..." Yuri said sadly.

"Don't worry Yuri. Any idea of yours is appreciated and I would love to hear it." Monika gently reassured her.

"Is...Is that so...w-well, I agree that we shouldn't do something so big with a new...m-member...j-joining..." Yuri struggled to say out those last few words. It was clear to Monika that she was still not at all comfortable with the idea of a new member joining so fast. "S-so...maybe we should stick to silent reading for a while...maybe giving Anon some time to familiarise himself with the different genres could help him out a bit."

"Okay. I can agree with that." Monika said.

"I don't..." Natsuki interjected.

"W-why not?" Yuri asked.

"It's just...Monika and Sayori wanted to get to know everyone here better, that includes Sayori's friend. I just don't see how silent reading can achieve that."

Yuri had a hurt expression on her face. "W-well, I never said we should use my idea, it...it was just a suggestion..."

"I never said we should use it either! I simply stated that it wasn't the best activity to do if we're trying to bond as a club! I mean, have you seen the Anime Club? I tried joining that train wreck a while ago and all the members did was watch Anime on their phones! That's it! If we do that, we will never develop as a club."

"B-but..." Yuri tried to defend her suggestion, but gave up after realising everyone else had agreed with Natsuki.

"Yuri, don't take this the wrong way, but Sayori really wants her friend to have a good first impression. Your idea is great-don't think any less of it, I just think it's a better once everyone gets to know each other a bit more; not every day has to have a discussion; sometimes we just want to unwind and read in peace. But for tomorrow, I just feel like it would be better if we just opened ourselves up a bit more. How's that sound?" Monika asked, trying to make Yuri feel better about herself.

"I...I suppose there's nothing wrong with talking about our interests..." Yuri relented, though with extreme reluctance in her voice.

"YAY!" Sayori threw her hands in the air. "You're the best, Yuri!"

Monika clasped her hands together. "Then, that settles it! Okay everyone, here's the plan for our first week: Tomorrow is ice-breaker day. Sayori, you go recruit Anon from whatever class he's in."

"Yes Maam!" Sayori stood up straight and saluted Monika.

"Natsuki, bake us the freshest, most delicious set of cupcakes you can bake."

"That's hardly a challenge!" Natsuki replied smugly.

"Yuri...erm...Yuri, you can..." Yuri looked at the club president expectantly. However, it seemed like a cat had caught a hold of Monika's tongue.

"I totally forgot to ask Yuri what she should do for tomorrow's activities-Yuri, what would you like to do tomorrow to help Anon settle down?"

"Oh...I was thinking of bringing some tea. I-I'll ask the teachers tomorrow morning if I can keep the tea set in the closet."

"It better not drench my Manga!" Natsuki warned.

"O-oh, o-of course not!" Yuri nervously laughed.

"Great! That's a wonderful idea, Yuri!" Monika praised, causing Yuri to blush. "I'm sure Anon will appreciate each of your efforts!"

"Aww, of course he will, I promise!" Sayori beamed.

"Well, I guess that concludes our first ever Literature Club meeting! I have to say, it went a lot better than expected. Thank you guys for your wonderful suggestions!"

"Aww shucks, don't mention it Monika!' Sayori gleefully exclaimed.

"And look at that; the rain's stopped too!" The four girls looked out of the window. Raindrops were covering the glass panes, but other than that, crystal clear skies.

"W-well, I guess I b-better make my leave..." Yuri was the first to announce her departure.

"Oh, me and Natsuki are walking home; I just realised that we live relatively close to one another. Wanna join us, Yuri?" Sayori offered.

"Ah...it-it's fine...I'm good on my own, thank you..."

"Eh? Are you sure?"

"She's fine, Sayori; she's walking home with Dean most likely." Natsuki huffed.

"A-AH! I-I'm not..."

"Ugh, whatever. Let's go Sayori." Natsuki indignantly dragged Sayori out of the classroom. "Uwah, uhm-Bye Yuri! Bye Monika!"

"Bye Sayori!" Monika waved back. Turning back to her remaining club member, she was disheartened to see that she was once again completely shut down, staring at her feet."

"Yuri, are you feeling okay?" No response from Yuri.

"I know Natsuki said some pretty insensitive things...but she was just trying to defend her own suggestions, as were you...I'm sure it wasn't her intentions to insult you..."

Still no response.

"Sigh...It's about Dean isn't it?"

"Y-YES!" Yuri shouted, finally breaking out of her slump. "It's...it's just...I finally found someone who I can talk to without looking like a complete idiot! All these other people in my class...they think I'm a freak! B-but when I'm with D-Dean, I don't know, he just makes me feel normal! Why can't Natsuki understand that?"

Slightly taken aback by Yuri's outburst, Monika thought for a good while before finally responding.

"Yuri...Natsuki DOES understand that...she just...has a hard way of expressing that. I promise you, she doesn't hate you for talking with Dean. I guess she...doesn't like boys in general. Did you see how flustered she got at the sound of a boy joining? That was pretty funny, wasn't it?" Thankfully, after what seemed like centuries, Yuri finally managed a light giggle.

"Huhu, I guess that was quite humorous."

"That's the spirit! You two have the entire school year to figure your relationship out, so take it slow. Obviously I can tell that you two are probably gonna clash a few times, you know that yourself, right?"

"O-of course...b-but..." Yuri suddenly stood up, a look of determination on her face. "...I-I'll try my best to become better friends with her!"

"I'm happy for you Yuri! I wish you all the best!" Monika gave Yuri a warm smile, which Yuri reciprocated with an equally sweet smile of her own. "I-I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Monika."

"Take care Yuri, I'll stay behind to put up our club notice on the CCA boards." With that, Yuri left the clubroom.

"Not bad..." Monika muttered to herself. "Not bad at all...Hey, what's this?"

Monika bent down to pick up a piece of scrap paper. A few words were written on it in large "comic sans"-esque handwriting. It didn't take a genius to figure out who wrote it.

"So you do write your own poems after all...hehehe...I can't wait to see her reaction."

With a sly smile, Monika folded the paper and placed it in her pencil case.

...

"_Club meeting is at 3:30pm tomorrow. Don't be late!"_

"_okay monika!"_

"_Noted."_

Natsuki slowly dragged her feet over the sunset covered roads. Sayori had long since parted ways, leaving her on the dull stretch of grey all the way back to her apartment.

"Dad? I'm home." Natsuki peeked her head through the door as usual. This time, she could see his brown wallet sitting on the dining table. Her heart dropped instantly.

"D-Dad..?" she asked nervously. To her surprise, as she walked further into her house, she could see a red plastic bag on the kitchen counter containing...food..?

Natsuki walked over to the plastic bag. Sure enough, there were two packets of food inside.

Is this a dream?

"Oh, you're back." Natsuki spun around in shock to see Shinzo coming into the kitchen. Her heart started to accelerate. She could already feel the slap coming...

"I got home early today so I bought dinner back...err...it's...fried rice..?" Shinzo said awkwardly before walking out into the living room, with no slap included.

Natsuki couldn't believe it. Daddy dearest actually bought food?! Not only that, but his breath didn't even stink of alcohol!

"Y-you bought d-dinner?" Natsuki asked.

"Yep. Hurry and eat it before it gets cold." Shinzo said from the living room.

"Erm...t-thanks...D-Dad..."

"Mmm." Shinzo grunted out.

"Huh. Well, how about that."

Not wanting to ruin anything, Natsuki wordlessly left the kitchen and headed straight for the bathroom. Maybe things weren't gonna be so bad between the two of them after all.

**End of Chapter Six**


	7. Chapter 7: Heartbeat

"Night, Mom! Night, Dad!"

"Sweet dreams, Natsuki."

"Sleep tight, Natsuki."

Natsuki's mother turned off Natsuki's night lamp before joining her husband at the doorway.

"Look at her...she's like a little angel..."

"Heh...what can I say? She gets that from you."

After a brief kiss on the lips, the couple turned back to look at their little girl.

"She looks so peaceful...I almost feel guilty that I have to wake her up every day."

"Well, then you're going to be extra guilty tomorrow."

"Actually, no I'm not: You're going to be waking her up tomorrow."

"What? You're kidding."

"Oh, come on. It's her birthday tomorrow."

"Yeah. I know. That's great. But how and why does that mean that I have to wake her?"

"Come on tough guy...just this once?"

"Hmm...Let me think about it..."

"Shinzo!"

"Haha, I was just kidding...Alright, alright, I'll wake our little parfait girl up."

"Thank you dear." The man and woman hugged for a few seconds before releasing each other.

"Ack-alright, alright, I'm gonna have to finish the packing." Shinzo finally broke free as he quietly closed the door to Natsuki's room.

"Wait, why? We finalised everything yesterday night, didn't we?"

"Well, we can never be too careful. I don't want to be halfway to the falls and realise we forgot the camera or Natsuki's pink goggles."

"Aww, you're such a strong family man; always looking out for your dear old wife and your precious daughter..."

"Heh..."

"Well, you go on and pack, I'm gonna run to the store real quick and pick up something extra for Natsuki."

"It's kinda late, want me to drive you?"

"Shinzo, it's just two streets away. I'll be back in no time. Besides, with the strong family man out of the house, who's gonna take care of our little angel?"

"...sigh...Be safe."

"Always. Both parents locked lips once again.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

...

"Anon! Time to get up!"

"YAWN! Ugh, what time is it Mom?"

"It's time to get up!"

"...sigh..."

Anon rubbed his eyes as he slowly stirred from his deep slumber, stretching his body in the process. As he smacked his lips together, he could taste the rancid smell of an overnight breath.

"Mmph..." he sighed as he clumsily made his way to the bathroom. The deep blue wall tiles of the bathroom greeted him as he stepped in. After turning on the shower and letting the water run for a while, he walked over to the sink and grabbed his toothbrush and the tube of toothpaste lying on a metal rack.

Squeezing a healthy amount of toothpaste, he stepped back under the shower, brushing his teeth and rinsing his body at the same time.

"Hmm..." he let out a relaxed sigh as he let the gentle warm water run down his body. He stood under the shower for a good two minutes brushing his teeth before spitting it all out onto the toilet floor, using his right foot to wash it towards the toilet drain. Instead of rinsing his mouth by the sink, he simply opened it wide under the shower head, allowing the shower water to pour inside his mouth. After gargling for a while, he spit it out; you guessed it, back onto the toilet floor.

Anon continued this process two more times before finally reaching for his body soap. He took a good look at it...and shook his head.

"Nah..."

After standing under the shower for another three minutes, he turned the tap off, grabbed his towel and stepped out.

"I'm done Mom! What's for breakfast?"

"Bread! I got up late today so I couldn't prepare anything!" Lisa yelled from downstairs.

"Oh! Bread! That's new: I didn't expect that at all!" Anon yelled back.

"You need to work on your sarcasm, young man!"

Anon rolled his eyes as he walked back into his room. Throwing on his uniform, followed by his blazer, he quickly did his hair and walked back out in a minute flat.

As he walked down the stairs, sure enough, there was a plate with two slices of bread on it, along with a glass of milk.

"You're gonna have to get that cut, mister." Lisa said as she got an eyeful of her messy son. His blazer was crumpled and his tie was tucked out of his brown vest. "My goodness! Have you no regard for your own neatness?"

"Ugh...Mom...Come on..."

"No, no; come here and let me do your tie."

"You know what Mom, I'll do it myself; you go eat your breakfast, you look hungry."

"Ok, I think I will." Anon quickly tucked his tie into his vest while Lisa sat down with her own plate of two slices of bread and chowed down.

"There, you happy?" Anon asked as he finally put his tie in the proper place.

"See? You look so much better when you try look presentable."

The mother-son duo continued their breakfast in silence.

"So" Lisa started. "How's Sayori doing?"

"Oh, I didn't actually see her yesterday, I guess she overslept again."

"You know you could always go over to her house and wake her up; I'm sure Midori doesn't mind."

"M-Mom...that's...kind of a breach of privacy, isn't it?"

Lisa gave her son a weird look. "You two are practically siblings. The only time when it's not appropriate is if she's changing, but there's always the good old "Knock on the door", isn't there?"

"Yeah, but still...it's weird to just enter someone else's house!"

"...Sigh...you know, you may be right. You two haven't spoken to each other in four years and that day when she ate dinner over at our house...even I could tell there's still a bit of...how do I put it...tension? No, awkwardness, between you two; it's like you two are only friends, not great friends; you know what I'm saying?"

"You said it yourself, Mom: We haven't spoken in years. But she's still the same old Sayori; the one that gets excited at the sound of food, the one that's always trying to trick you...the one that always wants to make you happy? The only thing that's changed is that...well, she's doing different things now. I heard from Hitoshi that a friend of hers is starting a new club and she's the vice-president; never would have expected that from someone like Sayori, so who knows? Maybe she's matured and she's expanding her horizons-"

"Something YOU'RE not clearly doing." Lisa flatly stated, causing Anon's face to turn slightly red. "You hear that? Even Sayori's trying out new things."

"My point is..!" Anon butted in. "Sayori and I used to have many things to talk about, but now maybe not so much."

"It's just a shame because she was basically like a sister to you...and you two really were close..."

"I know Mom, I know...it's just, high school is just so goddamn taxing; she's busy, I'm busy...it's hard Mom...the fact that we reconnected after all these years and still can hold a decent conversation...isn't that great on its own?"

Lisa gave her son a knowing smile. "You're right son: Looks like you've matured yourself. And on the topic of Midori, has she or Sayori gotten back to you about our dinner?"

"Well, like I said, I haven't seen Sayori yesterday; I'll try to find her in school and ask her."

"You know the thing you said about Sayori joining a club; maybe you should join one yourself. Or even better, join the club that Sayori's in."

"Well first I have to figure what exactly what club it is: I don't want to join something I'll end up hating. By the way, what clubs did you join during your school years, Mom?"

"Oh your mother used to be quite athletic: I joined track and field in elementary school, I was in Netball the whole of middle school and it continued through to high school."

"Oh right, Netball, yeah you were shortlisted for the National Team, weren't you?"

"Yep, that's right, although I ultimately wasn't good enough and I'm definitely not good now-I can't shoot if my life depended on it, especially after I had you."

"Well sooorrryyy."

"Haha, but still; I was crushed that I didn't make the National Team, but the experience, the friends I made; it definitely more than made up for that. Which is why I think you should join a club: the only person I ever hear you talk about before you reconnected with Sayori is Hitoshi, I'm pretty sure you didn't talk about anyone at all during middle school, maybe this could be an opportunity for you to make some lifelong friends."

"Mom. I'm perfectly fine right now. And I'm not THAT bad: Just last Monday I ran into some weird girl with purple hair and I managed to hold a conversation with her-that counts for something, right?"

"Do you know her name?"

"Of course I do! It's...starts with a "Y"-"

"Nope. Doesn't count."

"Yuri! Her name's Yuri. HAHA MOM! Looks like it counts after all!"

"Oh really? Well, what's she like then?"

"Honestly, I may have kinda freaked her out a bit. I bumped into her and I was already in a bad mood so I accidentally shouted at her and it made her completely uncomfortable. On top of that, I made her drop her books."

"Did you help her pick them up?"

"Mom-I'm not Satan."

"I know, I know; carry on with your story."

"Anyway, she was really shy as well and it took me a good while to finally get her to talk...but I don't know- I said something and she just completely and totally malfunctioned."

"So...you didn't talk to her?"

"I did! It's...it's just...not really a full conversation, but it's something, right? And I DID manage to talk to someone other than Hitoshi."

"You should make friends with her. You said it yourself: She's shy, maybe she could use a friend as well."

Anon thought for a while. Surprisingly, he agreed with his mother. "You know Mom...you're right. I...I should make friends with her...given that I find her again, of course."

"Mother knows best." Lisa replied with a smile. "You should get going: School's starting soon."

"Mom, it's only-" Anon gets interrupted by Lisa raising an eyebrow. "Alright Mom, you said it yourself: You know best." Anon walked over to Lisa and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Love you, Mom."

"Love you too, Sweetie. Have a good day at school."

"Oh I bet..."

...

"Heeeeeeeyyy!"

"What in the world?"

Anon was halfway through his walk to school when a girl's voice came screaming from behind him. However, it wasn't hard to guess who it was.

The already annoyed boy turned around to see a very flustered Sayori running up to him, panting heavily.

"Haaahhh...haaahhh..." Sayori took a few seconds to catch her breath. "I overslept again!" the cheerful girl whined. "But I caught you this time!"

Anon tried his best to hold in his laughter. Something about Sayori's whining and ruffled behaviour today was kind of amusing. "Maybe, but only because I decided to stop and wait for you." Anon joked.

Sayori responded by pouting and putting her index fingers together.

"Eeehhhhh, you say that like you were thinking about ignoring me. That's mean Anon!"

Anon was confused. "What the fuck did I do?" he thought. Looking around, he could see other people; some students included, looking over in their direction. "Oh God, I hope they don't think-"

"Well, if people stare at you for acting weird then I don't want them to think we're a couple or something."

"Fine, fine. But you did wait for me, after all. I guess you don't have it in you to be mean even if you want to."

"Whatever you say, Sayori..." Anon rolled his eyes as the cheerful girl skipped next to him.

"Ehehe..." Sayori responded with an innocent laugh. "Anyways, where have you been the whole of last week? I didn't see you come to school and I didn't see you from-erm! I didn't see you go to any of your classes; is everything okay?"

Anon raised an eyebrow. "Err...well, no actually. That week I caught a cold when it rained heavily and I had to stay home for two days. Wait, don't you have my number? You could have just texted me or something."

"Oh-oh...r-right...I must've had forgotten about that somehow." Sayori lied. "Aww, that sounds awful."

"Yeah, it was...but I'm okay now, so..."

The two friends continued their walk in silence. Not too soon after, the high school building could be visible in the horizon.

"By the way, Anon..." Sayori eventually broke the silence, causing Anon to turn towards her. "Have you decided on a club to join yet?"

Anon was completely taken aback by this question. "A-a club? W-was I even supposed to think of joining? Err, no, I can't say I have; I haven't exactly been looking either." Sayori responded with a disapproving frown.

"Eh? That's not true! You told me you would join a club this year!"

"Did I...?" More confusion washed upon Anon's face like a tidal wave. He immediately started recalling his conversations with his childhood friend last Tuesday. "Hmm...Burgers, I'll have to get her back on that one...dinner, still not sure when; I'll ask her when we're past this topic...oh yeah: She almost choked me to death."

"Uh-huh!" Before Anon could speak, Sayori interrupted him. She had an almost disappointed look on her face, but Anon brushed it off. "We were talking about what we were doing in our free time and I suggested you join a club in order to broaden your horizons!"

"Yeah, and I was going to tell you that but you inter-"

"Your happiness is really important to me, you know? What if you don't learn how to socialize or pick up any useful skills before college?"

"I-"

"And I know you're happy now, but I'd die at the thought of you becoming a NEET in a few years because you're not used to the real world!"

"When did I say I was-?"

"You trust me right? Don't make me keep worrying about you..."

Anon let out a sigh of relent. "Hmm...Alright, alright...I'll look at a few clubs if it makes you happy. No promises, though."

"Will you at least promise me you'll try a little?" Anon could only chuckle slightly at Sayori's worried face.

"Yeah, I guess I'll promise you that."

"Yaay!" Sayori cheered, while Anon lightly face-palmed. As the two continued walking, the school building grew closer and closer until they were only a traffic light away. Hundreds of students could now be seen walking in, some in friend groups, others in pairs, most alone. While waiting, Anon decided that it was time to pop the question.

"Oh, Sayori."

"Hmm?"

"Remember that time we ate at my house?"

"Of course! It was an awesome night!" Sayori let out a wide smile.

Anon had no idea why, but seeing Sayori smile so sweetly made his heart beat faster. "Err...well, yeah...but you know how you suggested that we all go over to your house?"

The light turned green and the duo made their way across the street with the other students who were also waiting.

"Oh! Yeah, I was just about to ask you about that! I was thinking maybe since the Festival's next Monday; we could eat after it, at your house!"

"Huh? Are you busy this week?"

"Yeah. I have club activities after school and I don't want to keep you waiting or anything."

"Oh, don't worry about a thing; I can wait. And besides; your club meeting isn't going to last forever, right?"

"Ehehe, I guess you're right Anon. Then I guess I'm fine with today!"

"Sounds great."

"YAY! I can't wait!"

Finally, the two of them entered the school compound. Since it was Club Week, they could see many Juniors and Seniors promoting their clubs with flyers, others using freebies to entice the freshmen, some, like the symphonic band, even going as far as to giving live performances. The band could be heard coming from the school hall, while the Guitar Ensemble was staged just below the main staircase.

"Ooh! It's my favourite song!" Sayori happily noted as the opening verse of "Sweet but Psycho" played.

"You mean that pop shit?" Anon scoffed.

"Hey! That's super mean!" Sayori firmly elbowed Anon, causing him to recoil in pain.

"YEOW! What was that for?!"

"Ehehe! Come on! We're gonna be late for assembly!"

Sayori and Anon made their way upstairs and headed to their respective classes.

"I guess I'll see you later." Anon waved to Sayori.

"Yep! Byee!"

Anon walked over to where his class was sitting and sat at the very back. From his position, he could see Hitoshi at the far front, directly under the stage. A few students were standing on top of the stage including the pathetic student body president. There were also a bunch of girls standing with him. Anon could see Kouichi trying to impress them, but as soon as they turned away they had a disgusted look on their faces.

"Heh. Loser..."

Anon recognised some of the girls too; they were mostly student council members, which in turn meant club leaders: Akane, the Floorball girls Captain, Fumi, leader of the Dance committee, and of course, Monika, president of the Debate Club.

Anon cringed as he thought back to that awkward moment last Monday. "Fucking Hitoshi." He thought as he stared as his friend. "Wait what the fuck are you-"

Anon craned his neck to see what Hitoshi was up to. On the stage, Fumi's back was facing the school hall. As she chatted with Monika, she leaned over a table slightly to pick up some papers.

"Oh my God...this fucking guy." Anon rubbed his eyes as he saw Hitoshi lean forward. "Seriously?"

"Good morning students." Kouichi's voice filled the speakers surrounding the hall. "Morning assembly announcements."

Anon didn't pay any attention to Kouichi's ramblings. Instead, he thought back to Monika. Back in his Sophomore year, Monika was his classmate and while they weren't exactly close, she did talk to him on more than one occasion, so it was slightly hurtful that she couldn't recognise him. Or maybe it wasn't. Maybe it was a blessing that she couldn't recognise him as the pervert that was staring at her.

Whatever it was, it was apparently her turn to start speaking. Anon could hear her voice loud and clear: it was filled with confidence; almost as if she was reciting a poem. Compared to Kouichi, well...

"...so come on down and join us for the Festival on April 29th, here at the school hall! We have many performances from various clubs, as well as live music and free popcorn!"

The freshmen let out a few "oohs" here and there, but Anon rolled his eyes. "The same as last year..." he thought.

"We'll see you there!" Monika closed her segment off with a sweet smile and handed the mic over to Kouichi.

"Hmm..." Anon thought. "Clubs...hmm...I wonder what club Sayori's in..."

Anon turned his head in the direction of Sayori's class. As expected, she was seated next to Mio, who seemed to have trouble keeping her awake. Anon let out a slight chuckle as he watched Sayori's head drop, only to be lifted up by Mio.

"And that concludes our Assembly. Please make your way to your respective classes."

Anon stood up as everyone in the school hall started to leave. Hitoshi bounded up towards him.

"Hey man!"

"Sup. By the way, I saw what you were doing just now; totally inconspicuous."

"Sh-shut up man-I was just, stretching my back!"

"Sure, sure..."

...

The school day went by relatively uneventful for Natsuki. She didn't get scolded by any of her teachers, she didn't fail any of her tests or assignments, she didn't starve to death; but that wasn't important, at least not to her.

What she was most excited for was what will happen after that.

As she walked towards the Economics block, her heartbeat started to increase. Earlier that day, she had asked a Home Economics teacher if she could use one of the pantry's refrigerators to store her cupcakes and thankfully, she allowed her to store them temporarily.

"I hope none of the freshmen discovered them..." Natsuki silently hoped as she neared the kitchen.

Natsuki checked to make sure the kitchen was empty before entering and heading straight for the dull grey refrigerator. Opening the door, she could see her little tray right smack on the middle shelf, wrapped in aluminium foil.

Fingers crossed, she lifted up the wrap.

All twelve delectable cupcakes sat peacefully on the tray, smiling back at her.

"PHEW..." Natsuki heaved a sigh of relief and placed the foil back over her treats.

While now on route to the clubroom, Natsuki could feel her phone vibrating in her skirt pocket.

"Goddammit, Sayori: I KNOW! The economics block is literally on the exact opposite end of the senior's block!" she mentally complained. "God, this girl has ZERO patience!"

Finally, after a hundred over buzzes from her phone, Natsuki finally shouldered her way into the clubroom, tray in hand. Sayori was the first to spot her entering.

"Natsuki! You made it! Oh my God, I was so worried! You didn't answer my calls or my texts; I was starting to think something happened to you!" Sayori bounced right up to the already irritated girl.

"Well Sayori, THIS is why!" Natsuki shook her cupcake tray in exasperation. No effect on Sayori, though.

"OH MY GOD. ARE-ARE THOSE CUPCAKES?!"

"What have I done..?"

"OHMYGOD OHMYGOD OHMYGOD OHMYGOOOODDD!" Sayori ecstatically jumped up and down, all the while Natsuki tried her damndest to keep her tray from being knocked over.

"SAYORI! Monika literally asked me to make these for the club; I don't get why you're so surprised!"

"I KNOW! BUT THEY'RE CUPCAKES NONETHELESS!"

Behind Sayori, Natsuki could see Monika at the teacher's desk writing in a bright pink notebook and Yuri at a random desk reading as always, but even they couldn't help but laugh at Sayori's antics.

"Haha! Oh my God, Sayori!" Monika rolled her eyes at her vice-president, while Yuri merely let out a small reserved chuckle before returning to her book. "Sis, you need to maintain yourself." Monika said as she got up from the desk and walked towards them.

"Well, now that everyone's here, let's set our plan into motion. Sayori?"

"On it!" The cheerful girl beamed as she swiftly walked out of the class.

"Is there anywhere I can put this?" Natsuki asked, her arms already starting to ache.

"Just set it on the teacher's desk." Monika replied, turning to Yuri. "Your kettle's in the closet, right Yuri?" The shy girl nodded.

"Ok. Ok. Natsuki, you help me with the tables. Yuri, you arrange the chairs."

The three girls quickly got to work shifting the chairs and tables to form a larger table, almost like the ones in those big meetings upper-execs hold.

"Five chairs, r-right?" Yuri timidly asked, earning a nod from Monika.

"O-okay...j-just confirming..."

Monika looked proudly at the club's setup. "Okay everyone! I guess we're done and since Sayori isn't back yet, we have some free time to ourselves first."

"Sounds good to me." Natsuki grinned and went over to one of the tables. Monika turned her attention back to Yuri, who was back at her desk and deep in her book. However, Monika noticed that she kept looking back at the front door, as if she were checking to see if someone was there. She...she wasn't even reading, was she?

Monika calmly approached the nervous girl. "I should approach from the front so she at least sees me coming..."

"Hi Yuri." Monika greeted. It made no difference.

"A-AH!" Yuri nearly fell out of her chair, but she quickly regained her composure once she saw who it was. "O-Oh...goodness Monika, must your really sneak up on me like that?!"

"I...never mind...anyway, I was just gonna ask how you were feeling? You excited for the new member?" Monika smiled sweetly. Thankfully, it seemed like Yuri had fully calmed down.

"I...I'm not exactly excited to be meeting him...but I'm not opposed to having him here either. I just...it's just..."

"Don't worry Yuri; you'll be fine! We'll be right here with you, so don't feel too nervous. It's not like it's only you who's meeting him." Monika reassured her friend.

"Y-yeah, b-but Sayori's known him I assume for quite a while and you said he was your classmate last year."

"Well, Natsuki doesn't know him either. And, like I said, don't worry about a thing. You don't have to be best friends with him straight away."

"Oh-oh no, we've actually met before, if I'm not mistaken."

"Wait, really? You've met Anon before?" Monika asked.

"It...it wasn't anything special...I just...bumped into him on accident last week..." Yuri replied, slightly embarrassed.

"Ahaha! That's certainly a first meeting!" Monika laughed. Yuri, however, clearly didn't see the funny side as she looked away. "I...I'm sorry, Yuri. I didn't mean to-"

"It's-it's okay. It's my fault for bumping into him anyway..." Yuri interrupted while playing with her hair. "Anyways, I should get back to my book; I want to read as much of it before Anon arrives."

"Well, okay then: I'll give you some space." Monika smiled, returning to the teacher's desk.

"I guess I could get started on some homework..." Monika thought, pulling her binder from out of her schoolbag. However, before she could get started, the front door exploded open, smashing against the wall with a bang.

"Everyone! The new member is here!" Sayori danced into the clubroom with glee. Behind her was a boy with dark black hair who looked like he'd rather be anywhere but the clubroom. He was noticeably taller than Sayori and possibly even Monika herself.

"I told you; don't call me a new member..."

Monika quickly did a look around. Yuri was already back to her usual state and she looked like someone had just told her that her cat got run over. Trying to lead by example, Monika stepped out from the teacher's desk, but to her surprise, Natsuki took the initiative first and walked up to access the situation.

"Huh. So you're the Anon that Sayori's always talking about." Monika looked back at Yuri, who by then had also walked up to Anon. She still had that nervous look on her face, while Anon looked pleasantly surprised to see her.

"Oh. Erm, hey Yuri...I didn't know you were in the same club as Sayori."

"Ah, w-well...y-you know...it-it's nice to see you again, A-Anon...I-I hope you enjoy your visit..."

"C'mon, Yuri..." Natsuki said. "No need to be so formal; he's gonna think we're really strict or something..."

Yuri immediately quietened down. "Ah...S-sorry..." Sensing that it was her turn to introduce herself, Monika stepped forward as well.

"Ah, Anon! What a nice surprise!" she happily greeted, pretending she had no idea he was joining. Anon looked visibly flustered as he looked around Monika, Yuri and Natsuki.

"What are you looking at?" Natsuki asked forwardly. "If you want to say something, say it."

"S-sorry..." Anon quickly apologised, his face turning red.

"Natsuki..." Yuri gave the petite girl an annoyed glance.

"What?!" Natsuki asked rather loudly, causing Yuri to look at her in panic. "N-nothing...I-"

Sensing the tension rising, Sayori quickly stepped in.

"You can just ignore her when she gets moody." Sayori quietly whispered into Anon's ear before turning back to face the rest of the club. Somehow, no one managed to hear it.

"Anyway! This is Natsuki, always full of energy." Sayori introduced. Natsuki half-smiled at Anon, but narrowed her eyes as Sayori moved on to Yuri.

"And this is Yuri, the smartest in the club!"

Yuri looked away, while Natsuki rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"God, what IS it between these two..." Monika thought.

"D-don't say things like that..." Yuri said softly, avoiding eye contact with everyone else.

"Ah...well, it's nice to meet you Natsuki and it's good to see you again Yuri." Anon said.

"And it sounds like you already know Monika, is that right?"

"That's right! It's great to see you again, Anon." Monika smiled sweetly at Anon, causing him to visibly gulp. "Y-You too, Monika..." he nodded nervously. Sayori then ushered Anon over to their makeshift conference table.

"Come sit down, Anon! We made room for you at the table, so you can sit next to me or Monika. I'll get the cupcakes!"

"Hey! I made them, I'll get them!" Natsuki interrupted in annoyance.

"Sorry, I got a little too excited..." Sayori was quickly brought back down to Earth.

"Then how about I make some tea as well?" Yuri offered. This was already going better than expected!

As Anon awkwardly made his way over to the table, Natsuki and Yuri walked over to the corner where the closet and the tray were. Monika decided to join Sayori and Anon. As expected, Anon sat next to Sayori, still looking completely done with his life. While Monika settled herself in, Natsuki marched back to the main group with the tray in her hands, a proud look on her face.

"Okaaay, are you ready?" Anon raised an eyebrow while Sayori looked like she was just about to jump out of her seat. "Ta-daa!" Natsuki lifted the foil off the tray, revealing a dozen white, fluffy cupcakes decorated to look like little cats. The whiskers are drawn with icing and little pieces of chocolate were used to make ears.

"Uwooooah!" Sayori exclaimed in shock. "You never told me they looked like cats! I love them even more now!" Sayori cheered with glee.

"I had no idea you were so good at baking, Natsuki!" Monika complimented, visibly impressed. Natsuki was once again flustered at her compliment, but tried her best to hide it in front of their new member.

"Ehehe, well you know...just hurry and take one!" the girl of the hour said, trying to get all of the attention off of her. Unsurprisingly, Sayori was the first to reach for them, grabbing the one closest to her. Monika followed suit, while Anon hesitantly took one for himself.

"OH...IISHHOGOOD!" Sayori talks with her mouth full, with icing all over her mouth. Monika and Natsuki tried their best to control their laughter. Meanwhile, Anon looked at his cupcake as if it were a complicated math problem.

Natsuki kept quiet as she watched Anon slowly take a bite out of his cupcake, her heartbeat racing. Will he like it? Or will he spit it out like a llama? Natsuki held his breath as she watched Anon's face change; first into shock, then into deep thought, and finally a pleasant smile.

"This is really good."

Natsuki let out the loudest exhale of all time.

"Thank you, Natsuki."

Shit.

Natsuki felt her face getting warm as her heartbeat steadily increased back to maximum. She crossed her arms, frowning at Anon.

"W-Why are you thanking me? It's not like I..!" Natsuki shifted her eyes away "...Made them for you or anything."

Anon looked visibly puzzled. "Eh? I thought you technically did: Sayori said-"

"God Sayori! You never told me he was THIS dense?!" Natsuki thought.

"Well maybe!" Natsuki exclaimed in a huff as she firmly brought her arms down to her sides. "But not for, y-you know, you! Dummy..."

Even though he had no idea what he did wrong, Anon decided it was best to dismiss this conversation before it turns more sour. "Alright, alright..." he relented. He tried looking back in Natsuki's direction, but she still kept her eyes fixated on the left wall. Her eyes met his for a split second before darting back to the wall. Anon knew better than to keep this up and instead turned to see Yuri returning with her tea set. She meticulously places a teacup in front of the other four members before setting down the teapot next to Natsuki's tray.

"You keep a whole set of tea in this classroom?" Anon asked. Surprisingly, Yuri was relatively calm while answering his question.

"Don't worry, the teachers gave us permission. After all, doesn't a hot cup of tea help you enjoy a good book?"

"Ah...I-I guess..." Clearly this guy wasn't much of a reader.

"Ahaha, don't let yourself get intimidated, Yuri's just trying to impress you." Monika joked, trying to sap the situation of any awkwardness, but all it did was make Yuri jump slightly.

"Eh?! T-That's not..." Visibly insulted, Yuri looks away, while Monika internally slapped herself.

"Goddamnit! I know she's shy yet I'm still making jokes at HER expense? What on Earth am I thinking?" Monika looked at Yuri, hoping she had not completely shut down. It was close.

"I meant that, you know..." Yuri avoided eye contact with both Anon and Monika. This was becoming all too familiar. Before Monika could apologise, Anon spoke up.

"I believe you." Phew. Maybe there's still hope for this guy. "Well, tea and reading might not be a pastime for me, but I at least enjoy tea." Anon reassured.

"I'm glad..." Yuri faintly smiles to herself in relief.

"So, what made you consider the Literature Club?" Monika finally asked.

"Well, I haven't joined any clubs yet, and Sayori seemed really happy here, so..." Anon was clearly hiding something, but that was the last thing anyone needs right now.

"That's okay! Don't be embarrassed! We'll make sure you feel right at home, okay?" Monika reassured him. "As president of the Literature Club, it's my duty to make the club fun and exciting for everyone!"

"Oh!" Anon spoke up. "That reminds me; earlier today you were talking on stage, right?"

"Mhm!"

"Yeah. I thought you were the president of the Debate Club. Why the switch?"

"Well, to be honest, it wasn't for me. There's just...too much politics and everyone there's just so pretentious. And it wasn't met who suggested about creating this club: It was Sayori and Natsuki! They were the ones with the million dollar idea!" Sayori blushed at Monika's compliment, while Natsuki put her hands on her hips.

"Aww thanks Monika!"

"Th-thanks..."

Anon turned to face Sayori, a look of surprise on his face. "Sayori...YOU thought of this club? I'm...wow. I...never expected that from you."

Sayori looked slightly insulted, but hid it with a large smile. "Ehehe, don't say that stuff, Anon: it's embarrassing!"

"So, Anon, what kinds of things do you like to read?" Yuri asked, finally rid of her earlier anxiety.

While Anon and Yuri conversed, Natsuki looked dejectedly off to the side. After the whole cupcake thing, Anon had paid zero attention to her, and she was starting to regret her choice of words.

"Ugh! W-why would I regret what I said?! I was right: I didn't make them specifically for him! And it's his fault for being so nice! Whatever; if he's gonna pay attention to Yuri then why should I care? It's not like I like him or anything! Wait, did he say Manga?"

Natsuki looked back to the main group. Anon and Yuri were still talking; Yuri for once seemed to be managing a conversation perfectly fine.

"N-Not much of a reader I guess..." Yuri looked off to the side with a sad smile.

"Well, fuck you too then, Yuri! No one asked for your opinion anyway!" Natsuki's inner voice scolded the shy girl.

Natsuki tuned herself out while Yuri continued talking about her favourite genres. Most of the stuff was boring to her and way too long to even get into. "Show off..." Natsuki angrily glared at Yuri. "Actually wait, man looks kinda bored...maybe I should say something..."

Natsuki tuned back into the conversation. Okay, so they're on the topic of horror.

"...Surreal horror is often very successful at changing the way you look at the world, if only for a brief moment."

"Ugh, I hate horror..." Natsuki tried her lead in, earning a curious look from Yuri.

"Oh? Why's that?"

"Well, I just..." Natsuki stammered. She quickly looked over to Anon, but his mouth was sealed shut. Welp, there goes her chance of getting Anon to talk to her. "...Never mind." Natsuki said in defeat.

"That's right; you usually like to read and write about cute things, don't you, Natsuki?" Monika joked. Natsuki nearly choked on her tea.

"W-What?! What gives you that idea?!" Natsuki quickly defended herself. Her eyes darted over to Anon, who had a bemused look on-and that's all she needed to see. By now, she was ready to kill the next person who embarrassed-

"You left a piece of scrap paper behind yesterday. It looked like you were working on a poem called-"

"Don't say it out loud! And give that back!" Natsuki angrily snatched the piece of paper out of Monika's hands. So far, this plan wasn't working out at all. Sayori walked up to Natsuki.

"Ehehe, your poems, your Man-"

"Don't-! Finish that sentence..." Natsuki interrupted the overzealous girl before she could expose her. Anon looked like a pretty easy-going guy, but it was still too early for the big reveal. Maybe tomorrow.

"Natsuki, you write your own poems?" Anon asked, genuinely curious.

"Eh? Well, I guess sometimes. Why do you care?" Natsuki immediately regretted her last four words.

"I think that's impressive. Why don't you share them sometime?" Anon complimented, trying to strike a conversation. However, Natsuki wasn't feeling it. Of COURSE he had to compliment her.

"N-No!" Natsuki averted her eyes. "You wouldn't...like them..."

"Ah...not a very confident writer yet?" Anon asked earnestly. Yuri decided to join in as well.

"I understand how Natsuki feels. Sharing that level of writing takes more than just confidence. The truest form of writing is writing to oneself. You must be willing to open up to your readers, exposing your vulnerabilities and showing even the deepest reaches of your heart."

Natsuki switched off after "Sharing." She was definitely not in the mood for a lecture and certainly not from Yuri. "Whatever..." she angrily muttered to herself. At the very least, Anon didn't look too affected by their earlier chat.

"Oh, that's right! You have writing experience yourself, don't you Yuri? Maybe if you share some of your work, you can set an example and help Natsuki feel comfortable enough to share hers." Monika suggested.

Yuri looked off to the side nervously as her shoulders slouched down.

"HA! Not as confident now, are you, you stupid thick bitch!" Natsuki smirked as Yuri was brutally humbled by Monika's innocent question.

"I guess it's the same for Yuri..." Anon responded to Yuri's lack thereof. Sayori, meanwhile, looked somewhat disappointed. "Aww...I wanted to read everyone's poems..."

The group sat in silence for a moment.

"Okay everyone!" Monika soon broke it with her potential new catchphrase. "I have an idea, everyone!" Everyone turned to face the president. "Let's all go home and write a poem of our own! Then, tomorrow, we'll all share them with each other! That way, everyone is even."

"U-Um..." Natsuki looked visibly concerned. Yuri opened her mouth, but no words came out. Sayori, on the other hand, was more than ecstatic. "Yeaaah! Let's do it!"

"Plus, now that we have a new member, I think it will help us all get a little more comfortable with each other, and strengthen the bond of the club. Isn't that right, Anon?" Monika smiled warmly at her newest member.

"Hold on, there's still one problem-I never agreed to join this club!"

Or not?

Natsuki looked disappointed. This guy seemed nice, plus he did let it slip that he did read Manga...maybe he wasn't so bad after all...

"Hmph! Who gives a shit if he doesn't join?! It's not like we need another member anyway!" Natsuki thought as she looked away dejectedly. The other three girls had pretty much the same reaction.

"Y-You all..." Anon swallowed hard. After thinking for a while, he finally answered the age-old question. "...Right. Okay, I've decided then: I'll join the Literature Club."

Natsuki felt relieved. Why? She didn't know and she didn't like it. While Sayori was choking Anon to death with her hug, Natsuki simply scoffed and looked away. "If you really just came for the cupcakes, I would be super pissed."

"Then that makes it official! Welcome to the Literature Club!" Monika beamed.

"Ah-thanks, I guess..." Anon awkwardly rubbed the back of his head, while Monika wrapped the day up. Natsuki decided to go and pack her things up as well.

"There. All done. Sayori, are you ready to-" Natsuki looked back at the clubroom. No Sayori. No Anon, either.

"Where'd they go?" Natsuki asked Monika.

"Oh, they left together. Sayori suggested they walk home together since they lived so close anyway."

"Wow. Is everyone I know pushing me out of their lives?" Natsuki asked herself.

"Hmm? What was that?" Monika raised an eyebrow. "Natsuki, are you okay? I noticed you weren't talking as much today..."

Natsuki lowered her head, trying to fight back tears.

"I-I fine...I-I'm just kinda tired today...I wasn't planning on walking home with her anyway!" Monika looked sadly at Natsuki before turning to Yuri. Now would be a good time to apologise for the bad joke.

"Hey Yuri...so, how was today?"

"It certainly wasn't as bad as I expected...Anon looks like a really nice guy, though I'm sure we can get him a little more interested in Literature; he doesn't seem like much of a reader to me..."

"Oh, why's that? Is it cause' he only reads Manga? Is that what you're trying to say?" Natsuki suddenly shouted, causing Yuri to jump.

"N-No! I-I never said that!"

"Yeah? Cause' it sure sounds like it! You told me last week that you were okay with me reading it! Now this new guy comes along and all of a sudden Manga's just trash waiting to be thrown away?!"

"Guys, please. Let's not fight at a time like this." Monika tried in vain to split the two up, but it only made matters worse.

"And you! Do you know how humiliating it was for me when you mentioned my poem?! Have you no respect for anyone's privacy?!"

"I know and I'm sorry! It just...slipped my tongue...I was just trying to lighten the mood!"

"At my expense!"

"Again, I'm sorry. And I'd like to apologise to you too Yuri, about the earlier comment I made...I hope I didn't insult you..."

"Oh, th-that's okay Monika...I wasn't-"

"Big whoop! She could have just offered him a cup of tea and leave it at that! She didn't have to go all sophisticated in an attempt to impress him!"

"I-I wasn't! I-I was-"

"You were what, huh? Trying to get another boy to like you? Don't you already have that dickhead showering you with nice words? Let others have a chance!"

The clubroom went silent. Natsuki quickly covered her mouth, her face turning red. Monika shifted uncomfortably, while Yuri had a look of anger on her face that neither girl had seen before.

"I don't understand why you hate Dean so much! Why can't you be happy that I finally found someone who's willing to talk to me and help me socialize, instead of laughing at me? No one's ever done that before!" Yuri quickly stopped herself after seeing a hurt look on Monika's face. Natsuki, on the other hand, was just about ready to explode.

"I-I'm sorry...I didn't mean it that way..." Yuri turned away, her hair falling over her face.

Without saying a word, Natsuki stormed out of the clubroom, leaving Monika and Yuri in an unbearably silence.

"M-Monika..." Yuri started.

"It's alright Yuri. Really, it is. I know you didn't mean what you said in that way and I'm sure Natsuki does too..."

"B-But...uuh...s-she probably h-hates me now..."

"She doesn't. I promise. She's your friend, right?" Yuri said nothing in response. "...sigh...I'm not mad at you, Yuri. I haven't exactly...been that good of a friend to you either and what I said just now? I'm still kicking myself for it. I know it took you a lot of courage to start a conversation with Anon and I just ruined it for you...and for that...I'm so sorry." Monika looked down in shame.

"It's not your fault, Monika...Natsuki was right: I-I shouldn't have tried to impress him..."

"No Yuri; don't listen to my stupid remark. It was just an act of courtesy and I'm sure he appreciated it. I was just...messing around. I mean, what idiot doesn't like tea, amirite?" Monika joked. To her surprise, Yuri started laughing.

"Uhuhu...y-you're right Monika..."

Monika joined in the laughter as well. "Ha...Anyways, yeah. Don't be too hard on yourself."

"I-I should probably apologise to Natsuki tomorrow..."

"And I'll see to it that she apologises to you too. Preferably before Anon reaches?"

Yuri silently nodded.

"Well, okay then...I guess I'll see you tomorrow Yuri." Monika smiled.

"Ah-yes. I'll-I'll see you tomorrow, Monika." Yuri nervously fiddled with her hair as Monika left the classroom. With a sad sigh, Yuri returned to her seat and took out her notepad.

"..."

Yuri stared out of the clubroom window. The sun was starting to set, creating this almost heavenly, amber glow to the entire school compound.

"Amber..."

Yuri suddenly looked up. Taking a deep breath, she pulled out a fountain pen from her skirt pocket and started writing down on her notepad as the sun's warm rays shone down on her long, purple hair. The clubroom was starting to get darker; Monika had switched off the lights when she left, thinking Yuri would leave soon after, but Yuri didn't care about the light. She was absorbed into the world of her poem.

She wrote.

And wrote.

And wrote...

...Until she hit a minor roadblock: How was she going to finish it?

"Hey Yuri!"

The clubroom lights suddenly flicked back on. Yuri turned to look at the door to see Dean standing by the doorway, his left hand on the light switch. "You ready to walk home?"

Yuri looked at Dean. He was standing directly where the sun's rays landed, giving him an almost angelic look. She then looked back out the window at the wavering sunset.

"J-Just a second, Dean; I'm finishing up my work..."

Yuri returned to her notebook and wrote down her last lines.

**The light flickers.**

**I flicker back.**

...

"Anon! Can you get the door?"

"Yeah, yeah; I'm going Mom!"

It was close to dinner time, and just like they discussed, Sayori and Anon, along with their mothers, would all be having a dinner together and Anon's place. Even though both families lived next to each other, this was only the first time they ever had a combined dinner; it wasn't even a full house.

Peeping through the peep hole, sure enough, Sayori stood outside happily with Midori right behind her.

"Hi again Anon!" Sayori rushed up and hugged Anon tightly, while Midori walked in behind her.

"Ack-! Ok Sayori, jeez! I just saw you half an hour ago; it's not like I went away on holiday!" Anon tried his best to claw out of Sayori's grasp. "Hey Mrs. Asoka."

"Well hello Anon! How are you doing? It's been so long since I've seen you!" Midori gave Anon a warm hug.

"Ahem, well...I guess I'm doing fine. Thanks for asking Mrs. Asoka."

"Lisa?"

"Midori! Oh, it's so nice to see you!"

Anon and Sayori watched as the mothers embraced each other. "Hey. Anon." Anon felt Sayori poke him on the shoulder.

"Yeah?"

"How about we go and explore your room first?" Sayori suggested. Sensing he had nothing else better to do, Anon nodded and the two went up to Anon's room while their mothers caught up.

This was going to be a fun night.

...

"Dad?"

Natsuki found herself in a very familiar situation. Carefully peeping through her front door, her heartbeat started accelerating. His wallet wasn't on the table.

"Phew." Natsuki let out a small, relieved sigh and stepped into her apartment. Like the day before, there was a lack of beer stench, but something in the living room caught Natsuki's attention.

"Eh? What's this?" Natsuki walked over to the living room to get a closer look. Lying on the sofa was her father's coat and his tie. He did come home after all, but the fact that his wallet wasn't present could only mean one thing.

"Huh. Then I seriously doubt he bought me any dinner..."

Natsuki entered the kitchen, but as expected, the counters were empty. Shaking her head, Natsuki swung open the pantry drawers and to her surprise, there were a few cups of instant-ramen lying around.

"This is new; I guess dad must've bought them yesterday." Natsuki held one of the cups in her small, thin hands; inspecting it. Her stomach rumbled in the process.

"Whatever."

Natsuki rummaged deeper into the pantry to find a small pack of dried seaweed, hidden on the roof of the cupboard. "That's right: I kept this here for safekeeping...I guess it wouldn't hurt to use one piece to spice up my five course meal."

Natsuki brought out the packet and placed it on the counter next to her cup. She filled the cup with warm water and cut the packet open, carefully removing one piece of seaweed. After five minutes, she dumped the contents of the cup into a porcelain bowl and placed the seaweed piece gently into the bowl.

"Sweet!" Natsuki stepped back to admire her creation. It almost looked like something out of Ichiran. Almost.

Natsuki set the bowl down on the dining table and began slurping it up. For something that cost less than 1000 yen, it certainly tasted better than expected, or maybe she was just hungry. White eating, Natsuki decided to look at her phone. The group chat seemed to have blown up.

"_SAYORI added AnonKazuma to the group"_

"_Err...Hi?"_

"_YAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY! IM SO HAPPYYYYYY!"_

"_Sayori-I'm sitting right next to you."_

"_Hello Anon! I'm so glad you're finally in the group chat!"_

"_YURI is typing..."_

"I bet I can beat her to it..."

"_WELCOME DUMMY. ENJOY YOUR STAY."_

"_YURI is typing..."_

"Wow. I bet she won't come up with a reply until tomorrow afternoon." Natsuki set her phone aside and continued with her ramen. Shorty after, Natsuki finished the last remnants of her soup and leaned back lazily in her wooden chair.

"I should probably write my poem before I forget about it...or before Dad comes home and finds something else to ban me from doing...oh, yeah: Yuri."

Natsuki checked the group chat.

"_YURI is typing..."_

"Oh for the love of God Yuri; it's just a welcome! You don't need five years to greet someone! What an-"

Natsuki stopped herself from continuing. Looking back at her phone; she could still see that Yuri was still typing her greetings and she suddenly felt awful, knowing that it wasn't so simple for someone like her.

"God. I was such a bitch to her just now...she probably suffers from this everyday; this is someone she does know and she's still having problems talking to him. I can't imagine what it would be like with someone like Kei...or Fumi...Ugh! Who am I kidding; she has Dean! She has nothing to worry about!" Natsuki angrily tossed her phone onto the dining table, but immediately looked back at it with regret.

"I guess I should at least apologise..."

Tapping Yuri's icon, Natsuki opened up a private chat with the struggling girl, but instead of typing an apology, her fingers hovered over her phone's keypad for a solid two minutes. "God, this is harder than it sounds...now I know how Yuri feels...You know what, save yourself, bitch; I give up."

Natsuki's eyes lit up. Rushing to her schoolbag, she reached in, dug out her notebook and flipped to a random page that wasn't already filled with crude doodles.

"Ha! Let's see who the better poet really is after I deliver THIS piece of fine art!" Natsuki smiled to herself as she put her pen down on the paper and started on her poem title.

**Eagles Can Fly**

...

**End of Chapter Seven**


	8. Chapter 8: Crimson

"Yuri? Yuri we're here!"

"H-huh? O-Oh...I-I'm sorry Mom; I fell asleep!"

Yuri slowly stirred in the passenger seat of her mother's car. Apparently, they had made it to the high school without her knowing.

"It's alright, sweetheart." Yuna replied. Yuri didn't want to hold up other parents who had also driven their children to school, so she hastily tried to exit the car. However, with her arms filled with textbooks, this proved to be quite difficult.

"Yuri? Can you get the door handle?"

"I'm...trying Mom...but my hands are filled. I just can't quite seem to-"

Yuri somehow managed to get the door open, but at the cost of losing her balance.

"Kya-!"

Yuri fell face first onto the curb, her books flying from her hands and onto the ground next to her.

"Oh dear!" Yuna cried out from the driver's seat. "Yuri, are you alright?" Unfortunately for Yuri, a few students had watched the entire thing go down and were already laughing at her. Yuri got up and started to pick up her books.

"Do you need me to help, Yuri?" Yuna asked as she unbuckled her seatbelt, getting ready to exit her car.

"N-No! It's-It's fine Mom!" Yuri cried as she bent down to pick up her Mathematics textbook.

"Nice underwear Yuri!" Yuki shouted from the backseat, causing Yuri to quickly cover herself in embarrassment. By now, most of the students entering the school via the drop-off point were watching her.

"A-AH! Y-YUKI!" Yuri lowered her face, hiding herself from everyone else. This morning was already off to a cracking start for the poor maiden. Thankfully, someone had ran up and was helping her pick up her books.

"O-oh. It's just you Dean." Yuri was more than relieved to see her knight in shining armour come to her rescue.

"Hey Yuri! I just reached school and I saw you in a bit of a pickle. Is everything alright?" Dean gently asked as he gave Yuri her textbooks.

"I-I'm fine Dean...I'm...just a little tired today."

"My my; who's this?" Yuri spun around to see that her mother was still parked next to the curb.

"Oh-Err...M-Mom, I'd like you to m-meet Dean." Yuri awkwardly introduced the two.

"Oh. So you're the Dean that's been keeping my Yuri company for the last few days?" Yuna asked.

"Aha...yes Mrs. Katagiri, that's me." Dean rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Well, I would just like to thank you! It means a lot to Yuri that you're keeping her company and I'm sure she really appreciates your kindness. I know I do."

"Err...w-well, t-thanks, I guess. I just...try to make friends with everyone here. Oh and who's this back here?" Dean turned o look at Yuki who had already returned to her phone.

"Oh, that's my sister Yuki..." Yuri said slightly downcast. "W-we better get going Dean; classes are about to start."

"Just hold on a second-Dean, say...would you like to have dinner over at our place one of these days? That is, if Yuri's okay with it."

"Of course she's okay with it, Mom; he's her boyfriend after all!" The younger girl called out from the backseat.

"AH-Yuki! W-we're not-"

"I don't see any harm in that. Thanks for the invite Mrs Katagiri." Dean said happily.

"You and Yuri can go decide which days you're comfortable with; I'm free every night so...Yuri, you can do that, right?"

"Oh, err, certainly mom! Dean we really have to go."

"Alright then, I look forward to it. It was nice meeting you both!"

"Alright, that's great-bye Mom!" Yuri quickly rushed Dean into the foyer as her mother and sister watched.

"Have a good day sweetie!" Yuna called as her daughter disappeared into the crowd of students.

"That guy is totally her boyfriend." Yuki said as Yuna pulled off from the driveway.

...

"Well that was certainly something." Dean said as the pair continued down the corridor.

"Ooh that Yuki! She just-drives me up the wall sometimes!"

"Hahaha! She's a funny one though!" Dean laughed, clearly enticed by Yuki's shenanigans.

"H-Hey!" Yuri lightly elbowed her friend before joining in the laughter. "Ugh. You're lucky you don't have any siblings..."

"Well, that's not all good either; it gets kinda boring at home. Most of my friends have siblings and they play video games together, watch TV together; I don't get that kind of luxury. Speaking of which, do you and your sister often do things together?"

Yuri thought about it for a few seconds before shaking her head. "No, not really: at least not now. When she was younger I had to take care of her so we were much closer then, but now that she's grown up, I guess she doesn't need much guidance. Plus, there's kind of a generation gap between the two of us; the music we listen to varies, she doesn't play with physical toys anymore, I guess we don't have much to talk about either."

"You should try, you know. I would give anything to have a younger sister or brother."

"I know but she's just so annoying sometimes; like just now when she looked-n-never mind..." Yuri's face grew red as she quickly tugged on her skirt.

"Huh? Looked at what?" Dean asked.

"N-nothing! It's-it's nothing important!" Yuri quickly dismissed the conversation.

"Oh, that reminds me; your poem! You told me yesterday that you and the club were gonna be sharing poems, right?"

"O-oh..." Yuri's expression dropped. Clearly, this was something she wasn't quite looking forward to for the day.

"May I see it?" Dean asked with a smile of his face. Yuri, however, was anything but happy. "I-I don't know Dean...it's...it's not very good..."

"No, don't say that. Come on; let's see it."

Yuri decides that it would be better to give in to Dean's persistence early instead of waiting and then having to give in anyway and gingerly takes out her poem from her ring binder. Handing it over to the charming young man, she watches nervously as he reads the poem. His eyes moved left and right, attentively scanning it. All Yuri could do was wait.

"Woah." Dean finally said as he looked up from Yuri's poem.

"Erm...d-do you like it?" Yuri hesitantly asked. There was still a chance Dean could outright hate it, so Yuri thought it would be best to ease of the enthusiasm.

"I-I don't know what to say, Yuri. It's great! It's gonna take some time for me to fully understand it, but from what I can tell...it's not about an actual ghost? I at least got that one, right?"

"Huhu!" Yuri let out a small giggle. "Of course it isn't, silly! But maybe it can still be symbolically compared to a ghost; Lingering in her last remaining place of comfort, unable to let go of the past and soon to be left with nothing."

"Hmm...yeah; I kinda got that sense of inevitability from it. Other than that, it's a great poem! Although...I did see you writing it yesterday; you just finished it when I walked in?"

"Oh-since today will be the first poem sharing activity the club will participate in, I wanted to write something a little milder; something easier to digest, I suppose."

"Alright, that's nice of you. Why, are there people in the club who aren't big on poetry? I know Monika should be able to handle this one, what about that other girl she was with the other day?"

"Oh you mean Natsuki? I have yet to see what her writing style is like, so I can't really judge her just yet."

"Well, whatever it is, I'm sure they'll love your poem as much as I do."

"I-I hope so..." Yuri muttered so quietly that Dean couldn't hear it, despite walking literally next to her. Dean handed the poem back to Yuri, who carefully slotted it in one of the folders of her big ring binder.

The two continued walking until they reached the junction by the canteen that separated the senior's block from the main blocks.

"Well, I guess I'll see you during recess. Bye Yuri!"

"B-Bye Dean...a-and thanks for reading my poem too!" Yuri shyly waved at the handsome young man as he disappeared behind a wall. She didn't realise it, but she was blushing slightly.

...

"Morning Sayori."

"Morning Jin."

Sayori lazily greeted her lab partner Jin as she sat down next to him. Unlike practical lessons, theory lessons would mostly be conducted in actual classrooms rather than the laboratory, but to save time, their teacher Mrs. Itami maintained the lab seating positions for theory lessons as well.

"Another boring day and another boring subject..." Jin sighed.

Sayori shrugged. "I guess it's alright. So, anything funny happen to you yesterday? I'm down to hear another story." Sayori said, trying to initiate some small talk.

"Eh, I guess I got a few laughs from Hitoshi and Anon again." Jin started.

And time stopped. Sayori looked to her right.

Jin wasn't there anymore.

"Wait."

Sayori turned to the front.

The class wasn't there anymore.

"No. Not again."

Sayori looked down.

The floor wasn't there anymore.

"NononoNONONO. Not NOW! NO!"

Sayori rubbed her eyes and opened them.

Jin stared back at her. He was smiling from ear to ear.

"I should probably laugh; I'm assuming he just delivered his punch line." Sayori thought.

"Ehehe! That's pretty funny Jin!" Sayori faked a laugh, which Jin seemed to have bought.

"HAHAHA! I KNOW RIGHT! Those two are complete nutjobs!" Jin snorted, while Sayori exhaled heavily. As Jin continued laughing, Sayori saw Mrs. Itami walk in with Monika. The two of them seemed to be chatting about some stuff. Monika glanced over at Sayori and smiled and Sayori replied with an even bigger smile. Monika made her way over to her seat, while Mrs. Itami placed her supplies down on the teacher's table.

After the class exchanged pleasantries, Mrs. Itami cleared her throat. "Okay class, I have an announcement to make-I did say at the start of the term that this sitting position is only temporary. Now I would like to so some switching between you guys..."

"She says that like it's random, but it's totally because of our grades. Watch: She'll put me in front because I dicked around for my practical." Jin whispered to Sayori as Mrs. Itami brought out the roster.

"Jin. Swap seats with Monika please."

"Wait...what?" Sayori's heart skipped a beat. She quickly turned to look at Monika. She had an equally surprised expression on her face. "Am I hearing this right?"

"I knew it! Bye Sayori!" Jin quickly packed up his things and headed for the front seat, while Monika eagerly walked to the back with a huge smile on her face.

"Hey girl!" Monika greeted her vice-president as she sat down.

"OHMYGOD IMSOHAPPY!" Sayori whispered loudly as Monika got comfortable n her sitting position. "THIS IS PERFECT. YOU'RE GONNA HELP ME WITH MY WORK, OH WE'RE GONNA BE SUCH A GOOD TEAM!"

"Ok, ok; you need to calm down Sayo! Mrs. Itami's gonna switch our seats again if she catches us talking!"

"I'LL TRY MY BEST! OK MRS. ITAMI'S STARTING WITH HER LESSON NOW-SHH!"

Sayori and Monika turned back to face the front as Mrs. Itami started with her lesson. Maybe Chemistry could actually be exciting after all...

...

...

...

"My God...this is so boring..." Monika yawned. It had only been 30 minutes since the lesson started, but the popular girl was already close to nodding off. Monika rubbed her eyes as she tried her best to pay attention to whatever formula Mrs. Itami was explaining. "I can't do this anymore...Sayori; did you manage to catch what the-Sayori?"

Monika turned to look at Sayori. Her head was softly resting on her table, forehead first. Monika chuckle slightly. She almost didn't want to wake her up, but she didn't want her to get into trouble either.

"Sayori?" Monika lightly patted Sayori's head, but to no avail. The bubbly girl was still sound asleep. "Sayori, wake up! You're gonna get scolded!" Monika moved on to gently nudging her, but Sayori still refused to wake up. "Oh for the love of-"

"Sayori?" Mrs. Itami's voice suddenly interrupted Monika, while Sayori shot right up in her seat. Her hair was a mess and her bow was on the verge of dropping off. Thankfully, Mrs. Itami didn't seem to notice that she had just woken up. "Do you know the answer?"

"Answer..?" Sayori turned to Monika, but she wasn't paying attention either. Monika gave an apologetic smile to Sayori, who by now was starting to sweat.

"Just say anything science-y!" Monika whispered.

"Oh-! U-um..." Sayori blurted out, trying to recall what topic they were on. "...Err-Chlorine!"

"Correct! Can anyone else give me another example?"

Sayori looked at Monika in shock. "Did that just happen?" Monika looked just as in awe. "Sayori you are a legend!"

"I had no idea what topic we were even on!"

"How did you manage to do that?"

"I have no idea! It was literally the first gas I could think of!"

The two girls tried their hardest to contain their laughter. A few students turned around to see what the commotion was about, but it wasn't enough to get Mrs. Itami's attention.

Eventually, the two had managed to calm down.

"So-tell me about yesterday. How did your dinner go?"

Sayori's face turned slightly red. "Ehehe! It went well! Me and Anon caught up so much and our Moms did too! It was almost like a family reunion!"

"Oh that's lovely! Tell me more about it."

...

"Aww I miss your room so much!"

"Sayori...you were here LITERALLY one week ago..."

"I know, but you've changed it so much since then!"

"All I did was move the TV over to the right side!"

"Yeah, but it still took me by surprise!"

While waiting for both mothers to catch up in the kitchen, Anon and Sayori decided to go up to Anon's room to rest.

"By the way Anon, do you still have that stuffed tiger?"

Anon looked at Sayori sceptically. "Err...why?"

"Do you have it or not?" Sayori innocently asked.

"I mean, I was going to give it away many years ago, but I couldn't find it on the day of our spring cleaning. I did find it eventually, but I got lazy and just put it in my closet with everything else."

"So he is still here! Let me see it!" Sayori immediately bounded over to Anon's closet.

"Wait Sayori no!" Anon frantically reached out and grabbed Sayori's hand, causing the girl to jump.

"UWAH! H-hey! What on Earth are you doing?!"

"I'll...Let me get my own toys..." Anon nervously brushed past Sayori and opened the closet door slightly, making sure his body was in the way.

"What do you have in there that you don't want me to see, huh?" Sayori asked mischievously.

"S-Sayori!" Anon shouted from inside the closet. Finally, he managed to dig out his tiger from under a pile of clothes.

"Anon, I'm not THAT dumb you know? I know what porn is." Sayori said with a smug look on her face while crossing her arms.

"A-and what makes you automatically think I've got porn in there huh? Unless you hide porn in your closet yourself."

"Nice try Anon. And also, oh my God it's your tiger!" Sayori snatched Anon's stuffed tiger out of his hands.

"What are you doing woman?" Anon asked. Sayori didn't reply. Instead, she reached into her own bag and pulled out an old friend.

"Oh my God no way."

"Reunion time!" Sayori squealed with glee as she set Anon's stuffed tiger down next to her stuffed cow.

"Jesus Sayori...you got your bird in there too?"

"Don't be mean! They miss each other!"

"What? I'm serious! You can't have a reunion without your bird; he's gonna feel left out!"

"Wha-? Ehehe...you goof! Alright, next time I come over I'll bring the bird as well, but right now, it's just me, you, your tiger and Mr. Cow. Isn't that right? _Oh yes Sayori, I'm so happy to be here!_" Sayori said in a deeper voice. "What does Mr. Tiger think?"

"Sayori, I'm not gonna do a funny voice."

"Do a funny voice!"

"Sayori-"

"DO IT!" Sayori angrily shouted, completely scaring the living shit out of Anon. "Okay, okay! Jeez...ahem..._Oh boy! Mr. Cow! It's been so long since I've seen you; how long's it been, what; four, five years?"_

"_Why yes my lord, it indeed has been that long. Tell me, how's your life like?"_

"_Mmm yes, it's been quite alright my good sir. Anon's given me quite a nice home inside his closet. It's got great ventilation, comfy seats and entertaining magazines to read!"_

"EWW!" Sayori recoiled in disgust.

"What? You said you were fine with it!" Anon hid behind his stuffed tiger.

"I said I KNEW what they were! Big difference!"

"Whatever, can we just stop with this stupid skit already?" Anon pleaded. However, he stopped himself after seeing Sayori's despondent look.

"Okay...It-it's just...we didn't get to hang out like this in such a long time...I really do miss you, you know?"

Anon rubbed the back of his neck in guilt. "I know...I'm sorry Sayori, I was just...messing around...do you want to continue? We haven't gotten to know what Mr. Cow did when I last saw him."

"No it's okay; I know it's cringey for you to keep doing a weird voice. Let's go watch some TV." Sayori smiled, but it was clear to Anon that she wasn't feeling too great.

"Erm, well, what do you want to watch then? You're the guest; you pick the show."

"Hmm...We already watch a lot of Anime in our free time, so let's not do that...K-Drama; I know you won't watch them even if your life depended on it...Netflix?"

"I mean, you are the guest so you choose."

"Netflix it is then! What shows are you watching currently? I wouldn't want to pick one you're currently in or have watched before."

"I finished all the Marvel ones and I'm currently through Season 2 of Stranger Things; I'm trying to finish it before Season 3 comes out."

"Anon you slowpoke! That show literally came out ages ago!"

"Well Sooorrryyy...I already told you that I only really watch Anime nowadays."

"Ehehe. How about..."

"Kids? Dinner's ready!" The sound of both Lisa's and Midori's voices echoed from downstairs, interrupting Sayori's train of thought.

"How about dinner then!" Sayori cheered as she leapt to her feet from Anon's bed.

"Heh...always getting exciting when food is involved, aren't you Sayori? Well, I can't say I'm not hungry either; shows after that?"

"Yep!"

With that, Anon and Sayori left Anon's room and headed downstairs to the dining area, where they are greeted by bowls of fresh rice and plates filled with savoury food.

"Is that miso I smell, Mrs. Asoka?" Anon called out as he walked down the stairs.

"It isn't a family dinner without it." Midori smiled as the children walked over to the dining table.

"MMM! It smells so good Mom! I can't wait to dig in!"

"Haha, hold your horses Sayori; Lisa isn't done yet and it's respectful to wait for everyone to be present before eating."

"Ehe...I got a little carried away there...sorry Mom..."

"Mrs. Asoka, Sayori always gets excited over food so it's understandable." Anon joked, while Sayori continued pouting.

"Meanie...Could I at least eat some of the bean sprout salad? I AM still hungry..."

"Ok Sayori, just don't touch any of the main dishes yet."

"YAY!" Sayori happily cheered as she dug in to the bean sprout salad. Thankfully, she didn't have to wait long as Lisa soon emerged from the kitchen carrying a large metal tray with a piping hot fish inside. "Alright gang: The pièce de résistance!" Lisa said, setting her tray smack down in the centre of the table. "Right! Let's eat!"

"WOO!" Sayori was the first to start eating; reaching straight for the chicken karaage. "MMM! SHO GOOD!" Sayori happily munched on her chicken, while the other three slowly filled their bowls with the other dishes. "Sayori, you'll leave some for me, right?" Anon asked while sipping Midori's miso soup.

"Anon, Sayori's your guest here; she's allowed to take as much as she likes." Lisa chided. Meanwhile, Sayori smiled with her mouth full of chicken.

"Sigh...fine..." Anon grumbled as Sayori reached for more chicken. "Next time though, I'll be taking all the fried chicken."

"Deal!" Sayori smiled and returned to her food.

The four continued their food in relative silence, the only time anyone said anything was for them to pass the food, or minor small talk between the mothers. That was, until Sayori decided to bring up the club.

"By the way Mom, I forgot to mention that Anon's part of the club now!"

"Oh, really? That's wonderful." Midori smiled, while Lisa smiled at Anon approvingly. "A club? So you actually did join one!"

"It was just today; Sayori found me spacing out in class and she recruited me...kind of sneakily though, if you ask me."

"Hey! It was a brilliant plan and you know it! Besides, you did like to cupcakes, didn't you?"

"I mean, I guess I did, but still though. What would have happened if I said no."

"You wouldn't. It's just not you."

Anon blushed slightly. "Ahem...yeah you're right...I guess it isn't...anyway, that's the whole story Mom."

Lisa smiled. "Well I'm happy you stayed true to your promise. What made you decide to join it?"

"Well, for starters, everyone there is really friendly-Yes Sayori; you are doing a great job." Sayori beamed at Anon's compliment. "And surprisingly, I actually know most of the club members. There's Monika; you know the popular girl I talked about last year, Yuri; the girl I bumped into on accident, and Sayori."

"I'm the vice-president Mom!" Sayori happily said.

"Are you now?" Midori asked with a bemused look on her face. "My own daughter becoming a vice-president of a school club. How did the president decide?"

"Ehehe...well..."

"Sayori actually came up with the idea with Monika and she pretty much begged her to be vice-president." Anon casually finished Sayori's sentence for her.

"Ehh? I didn't BEG her-"

"What? You totally did!"

"EH?"

Sayori snapped out of her story to see Monika frowning at her.

"No I didn't!" Sayori quickly defended herself, but Monika quickly tore through her defences. "Sayori-You pretty much managed to sneak the vice-president talk while we were having a conversation that had nothing to do with it; it was honestly quite impressive."

"Is that so...ehehe..." Sayori laughed nervously.

"Oh but don't worry so much: you're doing a great job as vice-president so far!"

"Am I..?" The girl looked away dejectedly all of a sudden, taking Monika by surprise. "Y-yes; you are...Sayori, you were the one who made Anon feel at home, you manage to ease things between Natsuki and I and, I haven't told you this yet, but last Wednesday when I recruited Yuri, I was unable to settle her argument with Natsuki...I can't do the things that you can..."

"T-they fought? But they're such good friends." Sayori looked sadly at Monika. "They-they're not still fighting, are they?"

"Sigh...they did have a scuffle yesterday after you left-again, but nothing too serious. But yes, they are good friends, just like how you and I are good friends." Monika gave Sayori a warm smile, but all it did was make Sayori feel worse. "I...I shouldn't have left so early...If I stayed longer, I could have helped you...I-I'm so sorry Monika!" Sayori cried.

"S-Sayori! N-No, it's not your fault at all! I was the one who couldn't break it up...I could learn a thing or two from you, you know? How you're always so forgiving and optimistic..."

As Monika carried on, all Sayori could think about was the club. Was it doomed to fail already? Was she being selfish for leaving Monika to deal with petty arguments?

Did she even deserve the role of vice-president?

"No. Monika's right! I am a good vice-president!" Sayori quickly shook the thoughts out of her head. That was not what she needed right now.

"I'm very grateful to have you as a friend." Monika finished. Sayori, on the other hand, started to tear up.

"Y-you really mean that..?..Sniff..."

"Yes Sayori...I do...Come here." Monika wrapped Sayori into a tight hug. "Well, at the very least, you're already a million times better than Kouichi." Monika whispered into Sayori's ear in an attempt to cheer her up.

"...Snicker...snort... PPPPFFFFTTTTTTT...HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Sayori burst out laughing, while Monika looked in horror. Apparently, Sayori had forgotten she was in the middle of-

"May I know what's so funny you two?" Mrs. Itami's voice broke Sayori out of her laughter as she quickly covered her mouth with both hands. Monika awkwardly looked to the side. "Apparently, I wasn't done with my class arrangements. Come to the front and sit down!" Mrs. Itami pointed to a front row seat, which was next to-

"Oh no..." Sayori groaned softly, while Monika looked on in pity. "Oh shit...I'm sorry Sayori...good luck?"

Sayori grumpily packed her bag and trudged to the front of the class. Meanwhile, Kouichi's table partner Akiro walked to where Monika was sitting and sat down with a grin on his face. "Hi Monik-"

"Don't' talk to me." Monika shoved her index finger onto Akiro's lips before he could finish his sentence.

"Well well well, look who it is." Kouichi crossed his arms as Sayori reluctantly took her seat next to him. "I suppose I'll have to carry you for the rest of the school year, isn't that right Sayori?"

Sayori didn't respond.

"I swear to God, I'm going to fucking kill you if you don't shut the fuck up..." she muttered under her breath.

"Sayori, if you'd just listen to the lesson instead of putting your head down on the table, maybe you can actually do well for on-"

"Mrs. Itami?" Sayori suddenly raised her voice, startling Kouichi, Mrs. Itami and pretty much the entire class. From the back, Monika looked on worriedly as everyone turned their attention onto the girl.

"M-may I please go to the bathroom?" Sayori hesitantly asked, visibly shaken up.

"Sigh...you are excused, but make it quick." Mrs. Itami relented, but it was clear that she was starting to get impatient. With a very modest bow, Sayori hastily walked out of the classroom, while everyone else looked on in confusion. Kouichi tried his hardest to suppress a laugh, while Monika looked down sadly.

...

"I can't believe the day's already over. Time seemed quite fast today for some reason."

"Yep, same; it was like I sat down after recess and then bam-Lessons are already over."

Yuri and Dean were in the canteen once again eating lunch before Yuri had to go for her club. As per Yuri's request, the two decided to seat on the second floor and towards the back, away from most of the other students. The chattering could still be heard, but it wasn't as loud as sitting below.

"So how are things at the club? You getting along well?"

"Hmm..." Yuri thinks to herself for a bit. "...Well I have to say; I am actually getting along nicely with most of the members...Sayori brought her friend yesterday and they are both really friendly."

"Sayori? Was that the girl with Monika the other day?"

"Oh no, that was...Natsuki..." Yuri hesitantly replied. She still wasn't completely over their clash yesterday.

"Natsuki huh...oh, she's the baker girl, right?"

"Oh, yes actually. H-how do you know this?"

"Last week during my culinary class, a girl walked in with a metal tray and asked the instructors if she could put it inside one of the fridges. I don't know what was under there, but it smelled good. And then I recognized her as the same girl who was with Monika the other day. So what did she bake?"

"Cupcakes. They were actually really good...but I didn't have a chance to tell her that..."

"I'm sure she knows, Yuri."

"I hope so..." Yuri muttered softly. "And lastly there's Anon; Sayori's friend and the newest member, although he can't really be called that considering he joined one day after the club joined. He's really nice, if not slightly awkward, but I'm awkward and shy myself so who am I to judge."

"Don't say that Yuri."

"I know, I know, I'm sorry, but yeah. He seemed quite interested in finding out more about Literature, so I got him a book to hopefully solidify that interest."

"That's...damn! That's really thoughtful of you Yuri! I'm sure he'll really appreciate it!" Dean commended Yuri on her efforts, causing her to blush out of embarrassment. "Huhu...it's nothing really. I'm pretty sure the others have better gifts, especially Monika..."

"Yeah...Monika..." To Yuri's surprise, Dean looked down with a sad smile on his face.

"Dean?" Dean looked up. "Y-Yeah?"

Yuri took a deep breath. "M-may I ask...w-what is your relationship with Monika? She seemed like she already knew you when she recruited me that day...and you don't seem too fond of her either."

Dean looked to the side sadly. "I-I'm sorry!" Yuri quickly apologized. "I-I didn't mean to-"

"No, it's alright Yuri...I guess I should probably tell you this...but..." For the first time, Dean didn't look as confident as he should be. He was nervous; more than Yuri even and he seemed to have trouble getting his words out. Yuri was surprised at Dean's sudden shutdown, but this also seemed like an opportunity. As gently as ever possible, Yuri slowly moved her hand over Dean's.

Her heartbeat started to accelerate. "Quick! Do it before he says something!" Yuri's hand moved closer, but it was still shaking.

"You can't do it. You can't do it. He's gonna turn around and jerk his hand away and you'll be left sitting there like a complete-"

"It's okay Dean...you can tell me." Yuri gently placed her hand on top of Dean's. The young man looked over to Yuri in surprise, but that quickly changed to gratitude as he saw Yuri's warm smile. Under the glow of the afternoon sun, she almost looked angelic. This time, it was Dean's heart's turn to start beating rapidly.

"Ahem...Erm...Heh..." Dean stuttered, visibly blushing, which inadvertently caused Yuri to start blushing as well. "Well, you know during your freshmen year and you all had orientation and the OGLs took you guys for that camp?"

"Yeah I think so...I don't remember much of it though: I spent most of my time reading."

"Well, I was Monika's OGL. She and her group of girl friends were very chatty with me and I mean VERY, but Monika was perhaps the chattiest of them all. She was still that stereotypic overly excited freshman who would shout and scream during orientation and be unmatched in terms of energy and on finale night they would get those temporary tattoos on their faces; you know?"

"Huhuhu! That's oddly descriptive but surprisingly accurate!" Yuri giggled at Dean's description of early Monika.

"Haha...yeah...anyways, Monika asked me out after the dance on finale night and we just, you know...got together."

"Hmm...how come I didn't know any of this?" Yuri asked, slightly puzzled given Monika's popularity.

"That's because we weren't the open type. It was a closet relationship because Monika didn't want it to get ruined by the attention it was given. I mean, not to toot my own horn, but popular girl and football star? Now that's a couple if I ever saw one."

"Oh, that makes sense. How long were you two together?"

"About a year and a half maybe? Fumi found out we were dating and she became super toxic and for some reason Monika refused to leave her and Kisami. I guess she has to maintain her image; she is the school sweetheart after all, but it still hurt. I knew I was going to get anywhere with those two girls constantly harassing me and I didn't want Monika to lose them as friends either, plus, like I said before, I'm aware of Fumi's...issues at home...so...I didn't want to seem like the bad guy."

"That's...very thoughtful Dean! I don't get why you're so upset when you clearly did the right thing, for you AND Monika! It was the best option for both of you!" Yuri smiled brightly, causing Dean's heart to flutter and his face to turn even redder.

"Gee...thanks Yuri. That means a lot. Well, you better get going missy: Club time's starting soon."

"Huh?" Yuri checked her phone. "M-my goodness! You're right! I'll see you after the club?"

"Yep! I'll be there, don't worry!"

"Right then, bye Dean!" Yuri waved to Dean as she hurried off to the Literature Club, while Dean watched with a smile on his face. "What's this feeling I'm feeling?" he nervously asked himself as he put his hand over his chest. "No...no...please don't..." Dean looked around anxiously, now starting to sweat. He took out his phone, seemingly sending a message to one of his friends. As he typed, more and more sweat started to pour out of his face.

"No no no...don't do this to me bro...no no-FUCK!" Dean angrily slammed his phone onto the table, causing surrounding students to turn around. Dean paid no attention to them: Instead, he put his head in his hands.

"Damn you guys..."

Picking up his phone, Dean angrily shook his head before walking away.

...

"WHO'S READY FOR CLUB TIME?" Sayori screamed as she threw the door open with her entire body. "Eh?! Where is everyone?" Sayori asked the empty clubroom in confusion. If she herself was already late, surely there could be no one later than her, right?

"If you keep screaming like that, I won't be surprised if no one turned up at all!" an annoyed voice came from inside the walk-in closet.

"Natsuki! You're here!" Sayori screamed once again. An irate Natsuki stormed out of the closet with a volume of Parfait Girls in her hand. "Did you not hear a word I just said?!" she seethed.

"Come on meanie! I'm just excited for another club session." Sayori pouted.

"Why? We're just going to be sharing poems with each other. What's so exciting about that?"

"Ehehe!" Sayori smiled brightly, causing Natsuki to roll her eyes. "Wait a minute." Natsuki suddenly thought of something. Maybe it wasn't the sharing, but rather who she would be sharing with.

"Say Sayori..." Natsuki asked with a devilish grin on her face as Yuri walked into the classroom. "Come here Yuri, you're gonna want to hear this!" Natsuki beckoned Yuri over to the gathering.

"What is it?" Yuri asked.

"So, Sayori. What do you think of Anon?" Natsuki finished her question with a smug look on her face, causing Sayori to blush slightly.

"Eh? I-I don't quite get what you mean, Natsuki, ehehe..." Sayori laughed, but this one was more out of nervousness rather than a usual Sayori laugh. Natsuki grew more suspicious.

"What's with that reaction, Sayo?" Natsuki asked slyly. Even Yuri seemed to be slightly amused at Sayori's reaction.

"W-what reaction? No! It's not like that guys! We're just...really good friends, that's all!" Sayori exclaimed.

"I never said anything about...wait a minute! Don't tell me-"

"Wait! That's not what I-"

"What made you jump straight to that topic, huh? Is there something you want to tell us?" Natsuki grinned, wiggling her eyebrows.

"D-do tell!" Yuri joined in.

"N-nothing! I have no idea what the two of you are talking about!" Sayori tried in vain to explain herself, but it was no use; Yuri and Natsuki were already in a fit of uncontrollable laughter. "Hmph! Both of you are meanies!" Sayori pouted.

"You did it to yourself, Sayo!" Natsuki chortled. Yuri, on the other hand, looked slightly concerned. "Erm, perhaps we went too far, Natsuki..."

"Eh? What do you mean we went too far? I'm just trying to have fun here!" Natsuki angrily crossed her arms. "Well whatever, I'm gonna go read my Manga. If you two need me, I'll be at the closet!" With that, Natsuki dismissed herself from the conversation, leaving Yuri and Sayori.

"I-I guess I'll go do some reading..." Yuri said softly as she plopped herself down by a nearby desk. As she carefully slid her book out of her bag, she had zero idea Sayori was watching her the entire time.

"Ooh wow Yuri! That book looks amazing! It looks like it's in tip top condition!"

"S-Sayori! Y-you were staring at me the whole time?!" Yuri quickly became flustered when she realised what was going on.

"Eh, I had nothing else to do before club starts, so I figured, why not hang out with my friends?"

"I-I suppose there's nothing wrong with that..." Yuri relented, allowing Sayori to inspect her book. "P-please be careful; it's a brand new book..."

"Ooh. Did you buy it yesterday?" Sayori asked while turning the book around in her hand like it was some sort of foreign object.

"W-well..." Before Yuri could answer, Sayori interrupted her.

"Hey, wait! I know this book! I saw you reading it on Monday! Did you buy a new one?"

"I-I..." Once again, Yuri was too slow.

"Who did you buy it f-GASP! Did you buy it for Anon?!" Sayori's eyes sparkled with glee. "OHMYGOSH that's sooooo CUTE!" The ditsy girl squealed, while Yuri looked nervously around. "S-Sayori! N-Not so loud! It's...it's...I just wanted to offer him something to start with...it's not a big deal, really..."

"Still! It's a really nice gesture Yuri! I'm sure Anon will like it!" Sayori encouraged with a huge smile, which seemed to put Yuri slightly at ease.

"Ah...Th-thank you Sayori..."

"Don't mention it!" Sayori's smile continued to grow wider. Meanwhile, Yuri decided to return to her book, but was interrupted by the club door opening.

"Anon! You're here!" Sayori jumped up and down ecstatically. "I'm so glad you could make it!" Now feeling confident after Sayori's encouragement, Yuri decided to walk over to the pair. "T-thank you for keeping your promise Anon. I hope this isn't too overwhelming of a commitment for you; making you dive headfirst into literature when you're not accustomed to it..."

"Big whoop!" Startled, Yuri spun around to see Natsuki walk over from the closet. "It's not like he's winning a race he was already late to! You said yourself that you weren't too big on reading, so if I catch you treating this club like it's nothing more than a hangout session, then I won't let you see the end of it!"

"Natsuki, you certainly have a big mouth for someone who keeps her Manga collection in the clubroom." Out of nowhere, Monika pops into the clubroom as well. She gave a quick and worried glance over at Sayori, but just as quickly turned back to the main group. Yuri laughed slightly to herself, but Natsuki looked like she was ready to explode.

"M-M-M...MANGA IS LITERATURE!" Swiftly defeated, Natsuki plops down into the seat next to Yuri, while the rest of the members laughed at her misfortune. "Anon, hi! I'm so happy you decided to stay!" Monika smiled sweetly at Anon, causing him to sweat a little.

"Well, I, err..." Anon stuttered, completely lost for words.

"Don't worry guys!" Sayori decided to step in. "Anon always gives his best as long as he's having fun. He helps me with busywork without me even asking; like cooking, cleaning my room..."

"Sayori...that's because your room is so messy that even I can't stand it. And you almost set your house on fire once." Anon raised his left eyebrow.

"Is that so...ehehe..." Sayori put her two index fingers together; this was starting to become a recurring pose for the bubbly girl.

"My my; you two have just the craziest stories, don't you." Monika laughed.

"You two are really good friends, aren't you? I might be a little jealous." Yuri joined in.

"Hmm? How come? You and Anon can become good friends too!" Sayori said innocently, causing Anon to swallow hard and Monika to shake her head in silence.

"U-Um..." As for Yuri, she was reduced to her usual self, looking away from Anon and fiddling with her hair.

"Sayori..." Monika sighed.

"Hm?" As usual, Sayori seemed completely oblivious to the awkward situation she had just created. Sensing the awkwardness between Yuri and Anon, Monika decided to step in-

"Oh! Oh!"

-Or not...

"Yuri even brought something for you today!" Sayori exclaimed proudly. Yuri, on the other hand, was starting to crumble. "W-Wait! S-Sayori..."

"Oh, really?" Anon turned to look at the quivering girl.

"Um...Not really..." Yuri looked away once again.

"Sayori! Hey I just remembered something! Could you maybe follow me to the adjacent classroom? I need your help with something!" Monika interrupted all three of them in an attempt to defuse the situation. Thankfully, it seemed to have worked. "Huh? Oh, of course Monika! What do you need?" And with that, the two girls exited the clubroom, leaving Anon and Yuri standing awkwardly next to each other.

"Ahaha...I'm really sorry about that...Sayori...she sometimes gets a little too excited for her own good." Anon started.

"Oh, don't worry about that..." Yuri replied. Another awkward silence followed. "Oh-oh! R-right...your gift...Well, I didn't want you to feel left out, so I brought you a book that I thought you might enjoy. It's a short read, so it should keep your attention, even if you don't usually read." Yuri handed the book over to Anon. To her relief, he happily accepted it.

"Geez. I-I don't know what to say. Thanks Yuri! I'll definitely read this." Anon said, while taking the book from Yuri.

"Phew..." Yuri let out a relieved sigh. Maybe things won't be so bad after all. Sayori may have almost embarrassed her and Natsuki still seems annoyed at her, but at the very least, someone actually accepted something from her! Willingly even! With a satisfied smile, Yuri sat down at her desk and began reading her other copy.

As she read, she couldn't help but think of Anon. Was he really going to read her book? Or will he toss it into the trash as soon as club time is over?

Only time will tell.

Trying to look as inconspicuous as possible, Yuri buried her face in her book, but kept her eyes just above the top of it. She looked around, scanning the clubroom until they landed on Anon. Looks like he's making his way over to his desk.

"I-Is he going to read my book..?" Yuri watched intently. "Oh, looks like Sayori and Monika are back. I wonder what they're up to..." Yuri shifted her attention to the duo.

"I like the first design better! It's way more colourful!"

"Ahaha...thanks Sayori!"

"Hm...Nothing too interesting...what's Anon doing now?" Yuri shifted back to Anon. He's...taking the book?! "Gasp! Come on...read it..." Yuri watched nervously as Anon's eyes scanned over the cover...then the back...then over to-

"Oh crap..!"

Yuri immediately buried her face deeper in her book. How embarrassing was that? Wait a minute...

"UGH!" Yuri peeped from above her book to see Anon turn in the direction of the closet. "Wait...what are you doing?"

To her dismay, Anon set the book back into his bag and walked over to the walk-in closet, where Natsuki was.

"Uuuhh...I knew he wouldn't like my book...I-I shouldn't have given it to him in the first place! W-what do I do..?" As much as she wanted to intervene, there was nothing Yuri could do besides listen in on the conversation in misery.

"You okay in there?" Anon nervously asked as he approached the petite girl.

"Freakin' Monika! Come on! How do you expect me to get my manga like this! Ugh, I swear to God, she always moves my shit around!" Natsuki seethed in anger.

"Need me to help you get it?" Anon earnestly offered.

"Why? Are you saying I'm short, dummy? I can get it myself, thank you very much!" With a disgusted look on her face, Natsuki gave a few more futile attempts before finally snagging the corner of one of her volumes. "See! I easily did it!"

"Sure..." Anon rolled his eyes.

"UUU-!" Natsuki looked like she was about to smack Anon senseless, but decided against it at the last minute. Instead, she took a deep breath and held her manga in front of her face. "Huff...anyway, you read manga, right? I heard you mention it yesterday if I'm not mistaken."

"Um..." Anon awkwardly brushed his hair.

"Oh come ON!" Natsuki huffed impatiently. "What's there to be embarrassed about? I like manga too, alright? And even if I didn't, I'm not gonna judge; no one ever should...except maybe Yuri, but oh well: her loss, right?"

"Yeah...I kind of expected it too...she doesn't strike me as the "Manga" type..." Anon agreed, seemingly pleasing Natsuki.

"Ugh! I just...I'm not even going to say what I'm thinking. So, what have you read so far?" Natsuki probed, clearly more comfortable with conversing.

"Well, Sayori got me a volume of One Piece for my birthday; I forgot which one: It was like super long ago, but the two of us just read it that whole day and, well, the addiction just kinda stuck." Anon smiled slightly as he thought back to his childhood. Natsuki, meanwhile, had her usual smirk on her face.

"One Piece. Seriously? What are you, some kind of normie?" she grinned. Anon, meanwhile, was completely shocked.

"W-Wha...well, Sayori bought it for me, so you're basically calling Sayori a normie as well."

"UUU-you are so...ARGH! Never mind this conversation!"

"What did I say, exactly?" Anon asked blankly.

"YOU-Nothing! Forget it! You want to stop being a normie, get yourself one of these!" Natsuki proclaimed proudly, holding the volume up for Anon to see. It was one he had not read before.

"Parfait Girls?" Anon asked, clearly unfamiliar with the title.

"If you're gonna judge, go do it through the glass on that door!" Natsuki huffed while pointing towards the clubroom door.

"I-I wasn't judging! I was just..." Anon held his hands up defensively.

"It was the tone of your voice. But you know what, never mind; by the end of the day, you're not gonna sound this condescending anymore. C'mere!" Natsuki grabbed Anon by the hand and led him to the wall of the clubroom where the windows were.

"How am I...never mind." Anon gave up on Natsuki's weird logic and followed her without further complains.

While all this was happening, Yuri looked on dejectedly from behind her book

"Uuuh...you idiot! You let this happen to yourself by filling your head with these perfect scenarios! It was obvious you would never make any friends to begin with!" Yuri thought to herself, shaking her head sadly.

"T-that's not true! I...I have the club. I have the club." Yuri tried reassuring herself, but that soon led to another thought. "Pfft! The club?! They're you're friends? Are you sure? The last time I checked, Natsuki hated you, Monika made fun of you and Sayori almost embarrassed you in front of Anon! Do friends do that kind of shit?"

"Th-they're just trying to get me to open up; they didn't mean any harm!"

"Oh yeah? Tell me; have you and Sayori ever had a proper conversation? Have you spoken with Natsuki without apologising to her or her apologising to you?"

"B-But..."

"Think about it Yuri. You're not stupid."

Yuri looked back at Anon and Natsuki. They were seated under a window, sharing a manga. It looked like Natsuki had fallen asleep, but she quickly woke up by the sound of Monika calling the club.

"Okay everyone!"

The club's attention turned to its president. "I think it's time we share today's poems with each other! We might not have enough time if we wait too long." Monika smile brightly.

"Well, since we're here, you wanna share poems?" Anon turned to Natsuki, awkwardly brushing his hair.

"I guess I have no choice, but fair warning: You're about to be seriously impressed by this poem!" Natsuki smirked, digging out her poem from her bag.

Yuri, on the other hand, rolled her eyes. "W-Well, I-I doubt it would be THAT good..." She turned to the remaining members, timidly retrieving her poem.

"Monika! You wanna share poems?" Sayori smiled enthusiastically.

"Of course Sayori! Hold on, let me retrieve it." Monika smiled back with equal radiance, leaving Yuri on her own, still seated at her desk.

"A-Ah...I-I guess I'll wait for them to call me..." Yuri thought. Completely crushed, she sat back down and buried her face in her book, while the other members shared their poems.

...

...

...

"That was such a good poem Yuri! You used so many amazing words!"

"Aha...erm, is-is there anything else you would like to add?"

"Nope; why would I? It's an amazing poem! You're amazing Yuri!"

Yuri walked away from Sayori, who was still smiling to herself. So far, her sharing experiences have been varied. Monika was constructive and offered advice and she somewhat understood her poem, but that's about where the positives ended. Anon surprisingly understood most of her poem, but his own poem was completely disappointing, and though it was his first time, it felt like more effort could still have been put in. Sayori gave zero input other than "It's good" and completely missed the point of her poem, just like Anon. Did no one in this club take poem writing seriously?

Well, there was one person.

Yuri looked at the final club member, who looked back at her. It was clear that this wasn't the part they were looking forward to the most.

"D-Do you want to...share poems?" Natsuki asked, her eyes fixated somewhere else.

"S-Sure..." Yuri replied, completely rid of any confidence. Natsuki reluctantly handed her poem over to Yuri, who did the same with hers. As Yuri read through Natsuki's poem, she couldn't help but sigh. The words used were...how could she put it...simple? Well, she got the message instantly, but she couldn't help but feel that there could have been more effort put into-

"Kay I'm done!" Natsuki dismissively shoved the poem back to Yuri's hands. "I guess you could say it's fancy."

Welp. Another person that completely missed the point of her poem. Yuri tried to suppress her anger. At this point, she was ready to return to her book until club time was over. "Oh, err...th-thanks. Yours is...cute..." Yuri answered flatly, hoping to end the conversation.

"Cute?!"

Maybe not.

"It's clearly about the feeling of giving up! How can that be cute?!" Natsuki crossed her arms, clearly agitated.

"I-I know that. I just meant...the language, I guess. I-I was trying to say something nice." Not wanting to start another fight, Yuri tried again to end the conversation. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to work."

"Huh? You mean you had to try so hard to come up with something nice to say? Thanks, but it didn't sound nice at all!" Natsuki huffed, crossing her arms even more. Yuri was starting to get nervous as sweat started beading down her neck. "M-Maybe I should be nice...th-that always works, right?"

"W-Well, I do have a couple of suggestions on how to improve your poem..." Yuri tried offering advice in an attempt to defuse the situation, but Natsuki had none of it.

"Advice?! Why the hell would I want that?! What are you trying to say-that my poem isn't good? Well I'll have you know I spent the entire night writing it and I put a lot of effort into it, so there! And besides, if I DID want advice, I would take it from someone who DID like my poem, which people DID by the way; Sayori liked it! And Anon liked it too!"

Yuri shook her head internally. "Of course they would..."

"So with that, I will gladly give you some advice of my OWN!"

"Excuse me..." Yuri interrupted. "I have spent a lot of time establishing my writing style and I do not expect it to change anytime soon, unless I find something that's particularly inspiring...which...I haven't...yet..."

Upon hearing that, Natsuki's eyes started to bulge and her body started to shake, but before she could say anything, Yuri cut her off once again. "And Anon liked my poem too you know. He even said he was impressed by it."

By now, Natsuki was ready to explode. However, she suddenly got an even better idea. "Gee! I didn't know you were trying to impress our new member, YURI." Immediately, Yuri grew flustered and sweat started pouring out.

"E-Eh?! Th-that's not what I...uhh..." Yuri looked off to the side, clearly disgusted. "I-I can't believe you would say something so immature! A-Are you just jealous that Anon appreciated my advice more than appreciated yours?" Yuri asked rather harshly. Natsuki was taken aback, but she stood her ground.

"Huh! And how do you know he didn't appreciate mine more?! At least I'm not full of myself like YOU are..."

By now, the two girls had caused such a commotion that the rest of the club had walked over. "Guys, guys! Can we please not fight?" Sayori stepped in, clearly uncomfortable. Monika sternly nodded her head in agreement, while Anon looked awkwardly to the side. However, Natsuki and Yuri were still at each other's throats, neither side willing to back down.

"M-Me?! If-if I was full of myself, I would go out of my way and make everything I do overly cutesy!" Yuri shouted, startling everyone. But Natsuki looked smug.

"Oh yeah? Well I'm not the one whose boobs magically grew a size bigger as soon as Anon showed up!"

"N-Natsuki!" Yuri's hands jumped up to cover her chest.

"Natsuki, that's a little-"Monika tried stepping in, but got interrupted by both girls once again. "THIS DOESN'T INVOLVE YOU!" they shouted in unison.

"You know what I think, Yuri? I think we should let the man of the hour decide for himself." She said, turning to Anon. "You said he liked your poem, I said he liked my poem, why not see which one he likes more!"

Anon looked at the two girls. Natsuki had a death stare on her face, drying up any words he had had in mind, while Yuri couldn't even bring herself to look at anyone else. Instead, she stood there with her face behind her long purple hair.

"Please say me...please say me..." Yuri held her breath as Anon thought long and hard. "Please...if there's any justice in this world, please put Natsuki in her place..."

"Y-Yuri..." Anon finally spoke. "You're...a really great writer, but I think Natsuki has a point."

Yuri felt her heart shatter into a million pieces. Anon continued giving his stance on the whole situation, but Yuri couldn't be bothered to listen anymore. She had heard enough. As Anon wrapped up his speech, Yuri looked dejectedly back at everyone else. No one had taken her side and it was about to get worse.

Natsuki, on the other hand, was ecstatic. "Ha! Seems like this dummy has a brain after all-N-not that I'm saying you're smart or anything, it's still a small brain! Don't let that get to your head!" she responded in her typical style. "B-but... thanks for at least putting Yuri in her place. Well, I guess that settles it then!" As Natsuki continued to rub her victory in Yuri's face, Monika stepped in for the second time.

"Now that that's all over, I think the two of you should apologise to each other. I know you both said some things you didn't mean..."

By now, Yuri was ready to leave the classroom. As she looked on, everyone else had a smile on their faces, as if the whole situation was resolved and everything was back to normal. Sayori smiled happily, while Monika and Anon looked on in satisfaction. But Yuri wasn't satisfied, and apparently Natsuki wasn't either.

"Huh? But she was so mean to me!" Natsuki whined. Sayori looked like she was about to say something, but Yuri cut her off with a manic expression on her face.

"M-MEAN TO YOU?! Y-You insulted me! You embarrassed me! H-How does that translate into being mean?!"

"You insulted my poem! I put a lot of effort into this: my, heart, my soul, everything! How dare you call it cute! How would you feel if everyone around you makes fun of your poems and your books? Oh wait, they already do, don't they?!"

"I-I..."

"Natsuki..." Anon interrupted. "I'm sure Yuri didn't mean it that wa-"

"Ever since you and Dean met, you've treated me like complete garbage! First you insult my Manga, then you belittle my reading preferences and now you treat my poem like a complete joke! I'm starting to see why no one likes you: It's all about you: Yuri's world, Yuri's poems, Yuri's books, well MY poems and MY books hold a hundred times more value than YOURS!"

"Natsuki, that's enough." Monika tried for the third time, but Natsuki once again cut her off.

"And how dare you speak to me in such a condescending way! Oh, I only get inspired by the best of literature, not Natsuki's trashy poem, ohoho, I'm such a good and civilized writer-give me a break! Get your head out of your ass for once!"

"I-I'm sorry!" Yuri clutched her chest tighter, her eyes starting to well up with tears.

"And I can't believe I was actually kinda happy I met you; someone with similar interests, someone who didn't care what other people thought of her, someone who I could chill with and read together, but NO! You clearly don't care about what other people like, only what YOU like! You're just a stuck up rude BITCH! No wonder you don't have any friends!" Natsuki snapped.

Yuri looked up in fear, trembling. Tears were starting to stream down her face.

"Wh-wha?"

"That's right, you heard me. I'm not your friend anymore. We. Are. DONE."

The club remained silent. All eyes were on the two girls.

Suddenly, without saying another word, Yuri grabbed her poem and her bag and stormed out of the clubroom, sobbing uncontrollably.

**End of Chapter Eight**


	9. Chapter 9: Promise

"S-Stupid Natsuki! Y-You b-brat!"

Yuri ran as fast as she could down the corridor, poem in hand. She would have found a toilet and hid in it by now, but the nearest toilet was all the way at the main block, where many students were, studying for midterms. Instead, she ran down the link way to the science block. The benches there were empty, but out in the open. She could still be seen there.

But there was one bench at the end that no one used.

The one by the rusty water fountain.

Yuri quickly sat down on the bench and looked around. Good. No one's coming or looks like they're coming. This is perfect.

The poor girl sat in shock for a few moments before-

"...sob...sob..."

Clutching her poem tightly, Yuri wept while thinking of what Natsuki said to her. "...sob...s-she's right, isn't she? I really have no friends at all...sob...sniff...ARGH! TO HELL WITH THIS STUPID POEM!" In a fit of anger, Yuri crumpled her poem into a small ball and threw it across the corridor with all her strength, before returning to her ugly cry. "I...I...I...sob..."

"You-you-you-I-I-I-you what? Say it then? What do you want to say?"

"SH-SHUT UP! I'M NOT LISTENING TO YOU!"

"Yeah that's right, don't. Just keep blinding yourself that all these people are your friends. Everything in the Literature Club is all hunky dory, isn't it? Is that why Sayori threw away your wine bottle and embarrassed you in front of a new member?"

"Sh-she was just encouraging me to open up!"

"Is that why Monika didn't do jack shit to stop Natsuki from insulting you?"

"She did! Natsuki just wouldn't stop!"

"Oh Natsuki. Right. Your so-called 'First Friend'. Yeah, the girl who didn't defend you from Kei, who humiliated you by talking about your breasts, in front of a GUY even, the girl who continued to argue even though you tried to end it; yeah, totally your friend, right? You don't have any friends at all. You have to accept it."

"I'm not going to-gasp! S-Someone's coming..."

Sure enough, footsteps approached from the staircase. Yuri wiped her eyes with her sleeve and took out her phone, but it was too late. The figure had seen her.

"Yuri?"

...

"HOW IS IT MY FAULT?!"

"Natsuki, listen to me. You need to calm down right now. It's no one's fault, alright?"

"YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT IT'S NOT MY FAULT MONIKA! IT'S ALL THAT YURI'S FAULT!"

"Natsuki, Natsuki, come here will you, the two of you just, yeah, thank you." Monika signalled to Sayori and Anon, who were both standing together in an uncomfortable silence, to give her and Natsuki some space. "Natsuki, look at me. No one said it was your fault."

"BUT-"

"Hey! No one's blaming you, okay? We're not blaming you, so you can relax now." Monika gave Natsuki a slight massage on her shoulders, which seemed to have calmed her down quite a bit. "There, there...it's okay..."

"No Monika..." Natsuki brushed Monika's hands off her shoulders, albeit with a lot less force than when she was shouting. "It's not okay. Of course I'm the one who's in the wrong again."

"Natsuki, I already said-"

"No, you don't understand. I know you say it's not my fault, but throw any random person in for the first time and they'll automatically assume I'm the bully harassing the shy girl. And who knows: Maybe I am a bully. Maybe-maybe I'm just a horrible person. But, it's just...hard!" Natsuki's voice started to shake. "How would you feel if someone didn't take you seriously, even if you put so much effort into doing something? I know I didn't fully appreciate Yuri's poem for what it was, and yes, that was on me, but Yuri did the exact same thing with MY poem...but since I was the first to lose my temper and bring up the whole boob thing, I guess that means I'm the bad guy here."

"Natsuki..." Monika placed her hand gently on Natsuki's lap. This time, however, it wasn't rudely shrugged off. "...I understand where you're coming from, and in all honesty, it's my fault for not listening to both sides of the story...I argued with my parents and my friends before and most of the time I end up losing because I'm the first to raise my voice or lose my temper. Life sucks, you know?"

"No, your friends suck! Geez, if I were you, I'd abandon their asses a long time ago!" Natsuki giggled through her tears slightly, before Monika joined in as well. "Ahaha...well, you're not wrong there..."

"I think..." Natsuki said as she wiped her eyes. "I think I should apologise to Yuri..."

"I mean, you don't have to do it today...I understand both of you would be pretty uncomfortable even standing next to each other...you can do it tomorrow if you'd like."

Natsuki thought to herself for a while. Knowing Yuri, she probably wouldn't be able to think clearly and whatever efforts she would make to try to talk to her would just be ignored or met with scorn. Yuri would probably lie that she was okay and end the conversation right before it started.

But then again...

"I-I have to do it Monika. I can do it."

"Are you sure?" Monika asked with concern. "I could follow you if you'd like."

"Nah, that'd just be even more awkward. Yuri definitely won't want to talk about it if that's the case..."

"Well, I respect your decision. Good luck!" Monika smiled warmly at the petite girl. She still looked very uncomfortable, but Monika was glad they were able to resolve the whole shitshow; well, at least half of it.

"Yeah...Welp. Club time is almost over actually, so I'd better go find her soon. I'll keep you updated, yeah?"

"Sounds great."

"Oh, and Monika." Natsuki stopped by the clubroom door. "Thank you. I mean it." Monika smiled in return once again as Natsuki left the clubroom. Monika then turned to face the two remaining members. Thankfully, they seemed to have already forgotten about the entire argument.

"So you two; how did you find today's poem sharing activity?"

"Oh! Oh! Oh! I loved it! It was so fun seeing everyone else's poems!" Sayori responded delightfully. "Although my poem probably couldn't compare to all of yours...ehehe..."

"Nah, I doubt it's worse than mine. You wrote yours this morning and it still has a better rhythm than mine, which I spent all night writing. I mean, the fact that I spent the whole night just to write ten lines should speak for itself."

"Aw come on Anon, don't sell yourself short! It was a great poem, right Monika?"

Monika nodded in agreement.

"Ah, you two are just being nice...but I will try harder for my second poem, you have my word on that."

"Mhm! Me too! Tonight, I'm gonna stay up all night and I'm gonna right the best poem ever!"

"Well, I look forward to it, Sayo. Anon, what about you? What do you think of the poem sharing?"

Anon awkwardly brushed his hair. "Hmm...well, yeah. I did like it. I've never done anything close to this before, so this was a nice change of pace. It was kinda neat seeing everyone else's poems and their different writing styles and I enjoyed talking with everyone. You all are...really nice."

"Ehehe, don't say that Anon, it's embarrassing." Sayori blushed deeply at Anon's compliment. "Besides, the icebreaker was all Monika's idea-isn't she the bestest president ever?"

"Ahaha...now YOU'RE making ME blush, sis." Sure enough, Monika's face grew a few shades redder. "Well, in that case, we'll do the same thing tomorrow; how's that sound?"

"Yep." Anon nodded.

"Yay! More poems!" Sayori cheered happily.

"Ahaha, well, then I guess that wraps today's meeting up!" Monika declared while clasping her hands together.

"Okay Monika! Anon! Ready to walk home?"

"Sure, let's go." Anon threw his bag over his shoulder as he and Sayori walked towards the clubroom door. "Bye Monika! See you tomorrow!" Sayori happily waved to the club president. "Bye Monika." Anon awkwardly waved as well.

"Ahaha! See you guys tomorrow!" Monika waved back as the duo departed before turning back to her table. "God...this is just...the worst..." Monika sighed as she stared at her binder. Inside was a notebook and then inside of that was what appears to be some sort of planner. "I hate you, student council..." Monika massaged her aching shoulders. After messing around with the planner for a few seconds, Monika let out another sigh and tiredly closed her notebook.

"Hey, I wonder how Natsuki's doing..."

"YURI! Yuri where are you?!"

Twenty minutes after leaving the club, Natsuki was still searching in vain for her ex-friend. "Ugh, just where could she be?" she asked herself in frustration. So far, she had swept the entire fourth floor three times, even the hidden spots and the girl's bathrooms, but no sign of the shy girl anywhere.

"She can't go down, can she? I mean, there's like a ga-jillion students below us right now! Unless..." A location suddenly came up in Natsuki's head. "Hmm...But she would have to pass by like every asshole in this school just to get there...ah fuck, it's worth a shot." With that, Natsuki swiftly departed to a spot she was all too familiar with already.

"Yuri! Yuri, are you there? If you're hiding and wallowing in self-pity, let me just tell you that you picked the most obvious spot to do that! Yuri?" Natsuki ran down the stairs to the science block, but before she could turn the corner, she stopped herself at the edge of the wall and listened.

Sure enough, there was the sound of someone crying softly; short and sharp inhales, sniffles, everything. Just hearing it was enough to make Natsuki feel guilty.

"I can do this...I can do this..."

With a deep breath, Natsuki slowly walked around the corner.

"Yuri?"

...

"On a scale of one to starving, how hungry do you think I am right now?" Sayori playfully asked her walk-home buddy.

"Heh...I would say...pretty damn famished. I know I am." Anon replied while rubbing his stomach.

"I'm more than starving! Who knew sharing poems could eat up so much of my energy?"

"Well, you're not gonna have much to begin with if you keep oversleeping every day, Sayori and BEFORE YOU CALL ME A MEANIE..." Anon put his finger in front of a confused Sayori's lips. "...just know that sleeping and waking up late is not the same as sleeping and waking up early. Trust me; I've been there, like when that time I messaged you at twelve that I was only three episodes through Stranger Things Season 1 and then you messaged me at two saying you couldn't sleep and I was STILL watching it? I was knocked out for the rest of the day!"

"Season 1? Wow, how long ago was that?"

"2016. It wasn't that long."

"Ehe...right..." Sayori nodded aimlessly. That was also the last year that they remained in contact until now. "But don't worry so much about me, okay? I'm fine. I may be tired, but all the stuff my teachers tell me, it goes right in and never comes out!" Sayori joked, hoping it would do something for her, but all it did was remind her of all the tests she had failed.

"...sigh...whatever you say, Sayori."

"Hey! You know that I've tried, right? It's not so easy for me..."

"Sayori...and yet you ask me not to worry." Anon sighed as he shook his head. Sayori, on the other hand, looked down despondently.

"Okay, how about this: You and me, okay? How about we have a competition to see who gets out of bed first? Since we walk to school together everyday...how about...Ah! Miso Kitchen! Whoever reaches there first wins it for that day, and then we walk together after that? How's that sound?"

"Ooh...a competition huh?" Sayori's mood shifted instantly. "By competition, you mean another victory for Sayori? Well, you're on Anon Kazuma! Starting tomorrow, I'll be up so early that I can finish one of Aunty Aiko's sets and you'll still be on your way here! Sleepyhead!"

"Oh you're gonna play it like that? You're gonna trash talk me? Well it's ON Sayori Asoka! I'm gonna be up so earlier, that...that..."

"That what, huh? Huh? What are you gonna say? Huh? Huh? Huh?" Sayori taunted her opponent.

"Hehe...you win this round, Sayori; I can't think of a good enough comeback."

"YAY! In your face!"

Sayori and Anon then continued their walk home in silence. That is, until the duo passed by a bookstore. The elderly shopkeeper was happily chatting with a young mother. Her son was nearby browsing through several volumes of manga. "Mom! Mom! I want this one!" The young boy enthusiastically asked while flipping through the volume's many pages. "Okay Kirei, just let Mommy catch up with her old neighbour for a while, okay?"

"Hey Sayori?" Anon asked while still facing the front and walking.

"Hm?"

"About what happened earlier..."

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"You know, between Natsuki and Yuri. Does that kind of thing happen often?"

"Well..." Sayori stopped walking and turned to face Anon, who in turn had also stopped walking forward. "They do have their differences and a few disagreements here and there...but today was really the first time I've seen them fight like that...I promise they're both wonderful people! Y-you don't...hate them...do you?"

"What?! N-No, of course not! I just...wanted your opinion I guess. I hope the two of them can sort out their differences; they look like they'd be amazing friends."

"Eh? But they're already friends...well, I hope Natsuki didn't mean what she said just now, but they were friends before that! Both of them are in my Biology class and they even did a project together!"

"Really? I know it's only been two days, but I haven't really seen them interact with each other that much...but I believe you, Sayori. And, yes; I'm pretty sure Natsuki didn't really mean what she said. I guess everyone was a little nervous doing this activity. Were you?"

"Eh? Me? Ehehe...well maybe a little...but after such warm reception from everyone, I feel a lot better about writing and sharing my poems now!"

Anon and Sayori resumed their trek, occasionally making some small talk and cracking jokes, until they finally reached the driveway of Anon's house. Lisa's car was already parked outside, indicating that she had just returned home from work.

"Welp, I guess I'll see you tomorrow Anon!"

"Yeah, bye Sayori!"

"You know, Anon...It's nice that I get to spend time with you again, but I think seeing you get along with everyone is what makes me the happiest and I think everyone really likes you too!"

"That's-" Anon awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. "-ahem...thank you? I guess we'll just have to see what the future holds." Anon smoothly recovered, patting Sayori on the shoulder.

"Okay!" Sayori passionately cheered. "Oh gee, my Mom just got home!" The two students turned to see Midori waving at them while walking up the driveway to Sayori's house. "I better help her with dinner. See you tomorrow, Anon!"

"Bye Sayori!" Anon id goodbye as Sayori rushed across the street to greet her mother.

"Hi Mom! Need me to carry those bags for you?" Sayori pleasantly asked, stretching her right hand out.

"It's alright, bun; it's not that heavy." Midori replied. In her hands were four large plastic bags filled with provisions, including but not limited to bags of potato chips, cookies and soda. Just looking at the chocolate cookies made Sayori hungry, but she knew dinner was also waiting for her and tried her best to refrain from nabbing them straight away. "I'll go prepare us dinner; you go wash up first; you smell."

"Moooom! That's mean!" Sayori pouted as she held the door open for Midori.

"Ehehe, just kidding!" Midori cheekily laughed. While she headed straight for the kitchen, Sayori walked down the hall to the bathroom, removing her uniform in the process, her smile fading almost instantly.

"Anon...sure seems happy..." she said emotionlessly as she entered the bathroom, removing her final piece of clothing and mindlessly tossing it out onto the floor. She turned the shower on to let it run for a few seconds before stepping inside and closing her eyes. Thoughts started to swarm her head.

"He sure seems happy..."

...

"Thank you for having us over Lisa; gosh it's been so long since the four of us did something together."

"Ah, don't mention it Midori; it's nice having you and Sayori over-we're all family here."

As the two mothers chatted by the door, Anon and Sayori decided to step out onto the dark road, only illuminated by the glow of streetlights and the moon itself.

"Today was so much fun!" Sayori smiled to herself while hopping on the alternating black bricks. Anon, meanwhile, simply walked alongside his friend with his hands in his pockets.

"You know, Sayori, it was. I admit it; I did have a lot of fun today! Your mother is such a great cook, and who knew Full Metal Alchemist still held up to this day? It was, what, my third or fourth rewatch?"

"Ehehe...it was my sixth. I love that show so much!"

"Pfft; show off. But, yeah. I really enjoyed having you over Sayori. We should...do this again sometime. I mean, you're free to come over whenever, I'm just talking about group dinners like tonight."

"Aww, of course! My Mom's a little busy this month, but whenever she's free, I'm a hundred percent sure she'd love to come over again!"

"Well, I look forward to that day."

"Sayori? Let's get going; it's getting quite late." Midori said after finishing her conversation with Lisa.

"Aww, really? I wanted to stay more!" Sayori whined, causing the other three to laugh.

'Sayori, you see Anon everyday in school, don't you? Plus, now you're both in the same after school club."

"Yeah, but..." Sayori muttered quietly, but replaced it with a wide smile. "Ehehe! That's right! Well, I guess we'd better go than Mom! Goodbye Mrs. Kazuma! Thanks for having me over!"

"You're welcome anytime Sayori." Lisa hugged the smiling girl warmly. After releasing from the hug, Sayori turned to Anon, now blushing heavily. "Ehehe...th-thanks for having me over for dinner Anon. I...had a really great time."

"Really? Did you?"

Sayori put her head in her hands while letting the shower water run down her bare back. "Did you really?" As she went over the whole night in her head, Sayori thought back to her hug with Anon. A nice, warm cuddly hug...between two very close...friends...

Friends.

The girl reached out to take the shampoo, but felt her hand go limp and fall back to her side as another thought started swarming her head.

...

"What exactly are we looking for in here, Monika?"

"You know next Monday's already the festival, right? Well, we haven't exactly done anything to promote our club yet...sure, it's a new club, but even so, just a tiny bit of advertising should do it some good, don't you think?"

"Ehehe! Funny you should mention that, I actually drew some pamphlets back at home. They're in my bag back in the clubroom. Would you like to see them?"

"Of course I would! We're just looking for colouring paper and coloured markers here. Could you maybe check the teacher's desk? I'm gonna dig around in the closet."

"Okay Monika!"

And thus, the search for drawing materials began. Sayori walked over to the teacher's desk and searched each drawer and each compartment diligently, while Monika scrubbed the entire closet clean with her investigative skills.

"Hey Sayori?" Monika asked from inside the closet.

"Yeah? Sayori replied with her head down inside a drawer.

"...erm...I..." Monika seemed to struggle with her words, but soon recovered. "...sigh...I don't want to ruin the mood, but are you okay?" The president stopped her search and walked out of the closet, a concerned look spread across her face.

"Hmm? Yeah, I'm fine; why wouldn't I be?" Sayori stood up from the desk.

"Erm, well...earlier today when you excused yourself to the toilet...I...I just couldn't help but feel worried...I wanted to check on you, but Mrs. Itami wouldn't let anyone two people go to the toilet at the same time and when you came back, you looked fine...but we both know that you have some thoughts bottled up inside that you never got to share...is that right?"

"Ehe...no, I just had bad diarrhoea, that's all...you don't have to worry about Monika." Sayori laughed nervously, but it was clear to Monika that something was indeed wrong.

"Sayori...you know you can tell me anything, right?" Monika asked gently. Sure enough, Sayori's wide smile started to fade.

"I know Monika...I'm fine, really...it's just...how could Kouichi say such a horrible thing?! I...sniff...I have no idea how someone could be this mean...sniff...and...a-and..." Before Sayori could finish her rant, Monika wrapped her arms around her vice-president tightly.

"It's okay Sayori...I'm here...I'm here..." Monika whispered softly into the girl's ear as she cried softly. "Don't listen to them...they don't appreciate you for who you are. They're not worth your tears and they're not worth your time."

"B-b-but...he's right, isn't he? I'm simply a nuisance to the entire class! I can't do anything right...I don't study properly, I don't pay attention; All I am is that playful girl who doesn't care if she got scolded, but I DO care! I DO feel like crap whenever someone scolds me! I DO want to change my bad habits! It's just...I just...just..." Sayori's eyes started to overflow with more tears as she went on. Monika was starting to get concerned. She never had to deal with this before; the only other time was her first encounter with Yuri and it went terribly.

The same could happen here if she didn't pick her words carefully.

"S-Sayori...I-I didn't know you were feeling this way...I'm so sorry that this is happening to you."

"It's just so hard! Everyone expects so little of me; they don't take me seriously at all! They're always like "Haha! Sayori's getting scolded again. Classic Sayori!" and it hurts! I'm just as capable as they are!"

"I know you are Sayori. Sayori, look at me." Monika released herself from the hug and looked Sayori straight in the eye. "Sayori, you are an amazing person. You cheer up everyone around you and you understand people infinitely better than I can. You are leaps and bounds more capable than any of those idiots, you hear me? Do not ever, EVER, think otherwise, okay? You don't have to care what they think because I believe in you. I believe in you Sayori."

Sayori stared at Monika with a conflicted expression on her face. "M-Monika..."

"Oh, my poor dear...come here." Monika wrapped her arms around Sayori once again...

...but this time...

...she wasn't crying.

In fact, she wasn't doing anything at all. She simply returned the hug and just stared out the classroom windows.

"I believe in you, Sayori...I promise..."

"Maybe you do...but I don't..."

Sayori was back in her shower, her skin starting to wrinkle or being in there too long. She hadn't even used any soap or shampoo; just water running meaninglessly down her back and down the drain.

"M-Monika..." Sayori said to herself; her good friend, great even. Her president, her role model...

...and everything that she wasn't.

"...You cheer up everyone around you..." Monika's words echoed in Sayori's head, bouncing off her skull and piercing through her brain.

"Sayori! Are you done in the shower? Your dinner's almost ready!" Midori called from the kitchen.

"Oh crap-!" Sayori jumped. A quickly as possible, Sayori shut the shower tap off and quickly wrapped herself with her red towel. "I know-I'm just pooping Mom!" the girl blatantly lied as she stepped out of the bathroom and headed straight to her bedroom.

"Okay...made it." Sayori said as she entered her bedroom. After closing her room door, she turned around to face her bed; her countless stuffed animals staring back at her.

All of them were smiling.

Rolling her eyes, Sayori stormed to her closet and took out her usual home clothes: a light-pink T-Shirt and deep-blue jean-shorts. Not bothering to comb or even dry her hair, Sayori grabbed her wet towel and left her room as swiftly as she entered it.

...

...

...

"So I went back to the pantry and Iko was there all stressed out and all that, and my boss came in a second later..."

Sayori sat absentmindedly at her dinner table, poking at her food. Midori was talking about her apparently crazy day at work; it probably would have been very funny to hear, but Sayori tuned out the minute she sat down. As she stared at her diner, her diner stared back.

In some weird and messed up way, it seemed to be smiling.

The miserable girl put her face in her hands and gave it a good rub. Thankfully, Midori was too caught up in her story to notice her daughter's distress.

Instead, the only thing Sayori heard were the voices of students.

"You're so funny Sayori!" went one girly voice that Sayori couldn't recognise.

"Woah! I never expected Sayori to score the highest!" That one was probably Kei or some other guy.

"Pfft...classic Sayori!" This one might actually be Natsuki, though she wasn't too sure.

Shaking tears out of her eyes, Sayori lowered her head closer to her bowl, pretending to hungrily wolf down her food. After all, that's what she was known for, right?

"Is there anything on your mind besides food?" Ok, THIS is definitely Natsuki.

"Heh...always getting exciting when food is involved, aren't you Sayori?"

Ooh. That last one stung. Trying desperately not to break down, Sayori looked back up and forced herself to listen to her mother's work stories.

"...and he said "Then why on Earth were you taking the coffee?" Hahaha!" Midori chuckled to herself.

"Ehehe...th-that's pretty funny Mom..." Sayori laughed weakly. Unfortunately, Midori noticed it immediately.

"Sayori? Is something wrong? Did anything happen to you in school today?" Midori asked gently, but firmly. Sayori could tell that she was serious, but now wasn't the time to let the cat out of the bag. It was close to midterms and she already had shit to deal with.

"W-well...I kind of got scolded for sleeping in class today..." Sayori half-lied, earning a stern look from her mother.

"Sayori, how many times must I tell you: Sleep early. This isn't healthy for you, my dear. You're lucky you were only let off with a warning..."

Not wanting to raise suspicion, Sayori gave a Sayori-like answer to her mother. "Ehehe...sorry Mom...I just had to watch that final episode of Violet Evergarden; I was already close to finishing it and I didn't want to wait until today to do so...It won't happen again, I promise."

"...sigh...hehe...I can't stay mad at you Sayori; just keep this in mind, alright?" Midori gently asked, to which Sayori passionately nodded. "That's my bun."

Sayori tried her best to finish whatever was left of her dinner and retreated back to her room before Midori could hold her up any further. Like all Wednesdays, the school day had less lessons to accommodate for CCA-time, which in turn meant less homework, but Sayori still felt overwhelmed the minute she sat down at her desk.

"Oh my days; where do I even begin?" Sayori asked in exasperation as she pulled out all her notes from her bag. "I guess I should start with Chemistry...I don't want Mrs. Itami and that dickhead to yell at me again..." Sayori concluded and flipped open her chemistry notes.

After reading through her first practice question, Sayori was already stumped and ready to give up.

"It's okay...Don't lose hope...just move on to the next question." Sayori told herself in an attempt to ease herself. Unfortunately, the second question wasn't any easier and Sayori soon found herself in the same position as before. "Okay...okay...deep breaths..." Sayori moved on to the third question, but at this point, her focus was completely thrown away and it wasn't long before Sayori found herself staring out her bedroom window rather than at her notes.

"Wait...what did I just read again? Ah FUCK!" Sayori banged her head onto her table in defeat. "...sniff...sniff...okay; come on Sayori, pull yourself together..!" the demoralised girl told herself, her head still on the table. "Just breath and focus." With a sudden burst of energy, Sayori sat up and scanned her questions carefully. "Okay, so-Atomic Structure...so the orbital goes here...or is it the electron shell? Is the innermost one a P or S orbital? Oxygen has..."

Sayori looked up from her book. It soon dawned on her that it had been thirty minutes and her notes were still blank and not a single question was answered. No workings were done, no nothing-just a blank space where her answers should be.

"...sigh...I guess it's back to the drawing board."

Sayori then tried to look through her notes to find any form of hint, but she quickly realised she was only looking at the pages rather than reading anything.

"..."

As she flipped back to re-read the entire section, Sayori quickly closed her notes altogether before she felt any worse than she already did. Defeated, Sayori sat quietly in her chair staring at her notes.

"...sob...sob..."

Droplets of tears dripped down onto her notes, staining the paper. Sayori hastily wiped her eyes, but it was no use, as more tears started to form. "Haah...k-keep it together...haah..." Sayori said between gasps. The poor girl tried going through her Chemistry lesson in her head, but all she could think of was Kouichi and his smirk.

This was going nowhere.

Sayori looked to her other subject notes, but at this point; she couldn't even bring herself to even touch them. Sayori turned to her bed, but before she could call it a night, a final idea came to her head.

"M-Monika...I can ask Monika..."

Sayori quickly whipped out her phone, but before she could unlock it, she suddenly remembered the Literature Club and the fact that she still had a poem to write.

"AAAAHHHHH!" Sayori wailed. Slamming her head onto her desk, the miserable girl wept continuously. "...sniff...sniff...haah...w-w-w-why can't I...b-be n-normal?!" Sayori cried through her uncountable tears. "AA-AAHHHH!" The girl continued to break down, her cries and the laughter of her friends echoing inside her head.

"...sniff...sniff..." After an agonizing cry, Sayori slowly sat up; her notes completely drenched in tears. However, she wasn't looking so miserable anymore. In fact, her eyes sparkled with slight determination. Despite everything looking like it had gone to shit, something did in fact come to Sayori's mind.

Grabbing her pen, Sayori tore out a piece of paper from her notebook and started scribbling words down. Before she knew it, she had finished her poem, and her apathetic look had been replaced with one of newfound pride and determination. "I-I did it...I-I did it! YEAH!"

"What on Earth is going on in here?!" Midori burst through the room door, making Sayori skydive out of her chair. "UWOAH!" Sayori cried as she hit the floor. "Sayori, what's with all the noise?" Midori asked in confusion.

"Ehehe...I finished writing my poem Mom! I'm so happy!" Sayori held up her piece of scrap paper proudly. Upon seeing her daughter's radiant smile, Midori loosened up and smiled as well. "Aww...my little cinnamon bun is so talented." Midori praised as she head patted her daughter, causing her to blush slightly. "Ehee...thanks Mom..."

"Get some early sleep today, yeah?" Midori said.

"Okay Mom. I was just going to go brush my teeth after this."

"I'll tuck you in when you're ready."

With that, Midori left Sayori to herself in her room. The newly determined girl took one last look at her poem before leaving for the bathroom.

**But all I hear is echo, echo, echo, echo, echo**

**Inside my head**

...

Natsuki dragged her feet out of the canteen. School was finally over, and suffice to say, Natsuki's day wasn't exactly the best and her eye bags and messy hair said it all. Not to mention, it wasn't just school hours that gave her a hard time.

"I wonder what they do at a Literature Club." Mabel asked Natsuki as she and her sister followed her out of the canteen.

"Probably Literature." Maple answered, rolling her eyes.

"How about you shut your face before I shove my fist in it?"

"How about BOTH OF YOU shut the fuck up before I stuff my arms up your FUCKING ANUS!" Natsuki furiously exclaimed, shocking both twins. "Jesus Nat, calm the fuck down." Maple said nervously. "Yeah, don't want to attract any unwanted attention, right..." Mabel nervously chimed in. "You kind of remind me of that weird girl with those crazy eyes you were giving..."

"Shh!" Maple elbowed her sister.

Natsuki's heart skipped a beat.

"What do you mean-"

"Oh-it's just some freshman or sophomore girl that we hate. No one too serious." Maple chuckled nervously, squinting at her twin sister.

"Yeah. We just saw her doing some weird shit a while back. It was pretty gross I'm not even gonna say what it was."

"How do you know it's a freshman or sophomore and not a senior or junior?" Natsuki asked, her heartbeat starting to increase.

"Well, we never see her at all during our lunchtimes." Mabel answered.

Natsuki still wasn't sure, but that seemed to be a good enough alibi. "You two didn't do anything serious to this girl...right?"

"No, no; Natsuki come on. What do you think we are-devils?" Mable seemed slightly offended by Natsuki's question. "We just think she's weird, it's not like she reads Manga or anything."

Natsuki swallowed hard.

"You two just really hate weebs, huh. Anyway, I'll see you two tomorrow. Bye!" Natsuki waved to the twins as the trio split up. Within a few minutes, Natsuki had reached the clubroom.

As she slowly opened the door, the only person inside was Yuri, who was reading her book at one of the desks. A feeling of guilt washed over the Natsuki as she walked hurriedly over to the walk-in closet before the shy girl could notice her. However, as she pulled open the closet door, she was greeted but her box of manga once again at the highest shelf.

"Mmm..." Natsuki twitched. Not wanting to make her day worse than it already was, Natsuki took a few deep breaths and turned to Yuri, who still hadn't noticed her.

"Y-Yuri..?" Natsuki asked, her face turning red.

Yuri kept her head in her books. At this point, Natsuki wasn't sure if she didn't hear her, or didn't want to entertain her. Either way, Natsuki felt awful, but before she could speak up, the club door exploded open as Sayori made her way in.

"Yay! Club time everyone!" Natsuki rolled her eyes, while Yuri nearly jumped out of her chair. "S-Sayori! M-Must you r-really do that?!" Yuri exclaimed, doing her signature pose. "Ehehe! Aren't you excited for club time, Yuri?" Sayori asked cheerfully, but all the shy girl could do was look down at her book. Instead, Sayori diverted her attention to Natsuki.

"Hey Natsuki!" Sayori happily skipped over to the closet.

"Hey..." Natsuki replied half-heartedly, clearly not in the mood.

"Eh? What's wrong Natsuki? Are you okay? Did anything happen?" Sayori bombarded the already annoyed girl with questions. For a second, Natsuki thought of erupting onto the bubbly girl, but she immediately remembered the previous day and seeing Yuri's destroyed look after that.

After a very deep exhale, Natsuki turned to face her vice-president. "I...didn't sleep well, okay? I'm tired and...I do not want to be annoyed right now."

"Oh-you didn't sleep well? Neither did I! Hehe!" Sayori beamed.

"Oh really? What time did you sleep?" Natsuki asked.

"Around 10. But I woke up like super early and couldn't go back to sleep."

"Seriously? You slept at 10 and you're tired? I slept at frikin 2am and had to wake up frikin early before-" Natsuki quickly stopped herself. "B-Before...before I slept past my shitty ass alarm clock! So why are you complaining?"

"E-Eh? I-I wasn't complaining..." Sayori looked slightly hurt.

"I-I know...I-I'm sorry, I was just joking..." Natsuki once again felt guilty. "B-But...I really didn't sleep well, so...erm, maybe you could...let me rest a bit before club starts?"

"Okay..." Sayori said dejectedly. As the vice-president left the closet, Natsuki slapped herself internally. "Wow-you really know how to make your friends feel like garbage, huh." On the brink of tears, Natsuki lowered herself onto the floor, waiting for club time to start.

...

...

...

"Okay everyone! Now, we still have some free time before poem sharing, so feel free to do whatever you guys want!" Monika announced as she stuck right hand out to the side, index finger pointed. As expected, Yuri dove straight back into her book as Natsuki looked on in guilt.

"Psst. So, how did it go?" Monika walked up to Natsuki and whispered.

"How did what go?" Natsuki raised an eyebrow.

"You know, hmm?" Monika pointed at Yuri with her head. "Yesterday, I mean."

"O-oh..." Natsuki looked at her feet. "W-well...s-she accepted my apology and...I guess we're past that...w-we're still a bit...you know..."

"Yeah I understand. It's gonna take some time for you two to patch things up, but I'm glad you did apologise. Thank you, Natsuki." Monika gave an approving smile, causing Natsuki's stomach to knot up. "Y-yeah...y-you don't have to...never mind..."

As Monika trotted away, Natsuki could see Anon walking towards her. "Finally; some good news..." she muttered to herself quietly.

Hey Natsuki. You ready to continue reading?" I read a bit yesterday and-I got to say, it's certainly better than most of the Manga I read in the past...except for Cowboy Bepop of course."

"Eww-wow you are seriously a normie. B-But thanks...I-I'm glad you liked it..." Natsuki struggled to accept Anon's compliment to her favourite series. "Well, you hold on a minute, I'm gonna go get the box-oh yeah, I forgot; frikin Monika!" Natsuki huffed.

"What? What happened?" Monika asked from the teacher's desk.

"I thought I told you not to move my frikin manga! Ugh!"

"Ahaha...sorry, sorry..." Monika laughed nervously.

"Hmph. Stupid teachers..."

"You need me to get it down?" Anon asked helpfully.

"Why?! You think I can't get it myself?!" Natsuki growled. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Yuri seemingly shaking her head in disapproval.

"What the f-no! I just...wanted to READ it faster."

"Hmph. Nice save. Just give me the damn swivel chair already!"Natsuki pushed Anon over to the teacher's desk, where Monika was trying her hardest not to laugh. "She's getting it herself?" Monika asked between snorts. "She's getting it herself." Anon smirked. "Hey your highness, I got it." Anon rolled both his eyes and the swivel chair towards the closet.

"Scoff-whatever dummy." Natsuki rolled her eyes as well as she climbed up the swivel chair.

"Woah-Jesus! Fuck!" Natsuki exclaimed as the chair moved under her feet. Grabbing the shelf tightly, she looked down at Anon in annoyance. "What are you doing? Can you at least hold the chair steady instead of standing around and doing nothing?"

"You-fine, fine. Here, one sec." Anon squatted down and held the wheels, but as soon as he looked up-

"Oop-Jesus, no thank you." The flustered boy quickly turned away.

"Oof-finally got it." Natsuki held the box in her hands. "Hey, I don't think I can-eh?" Natsuki looked down and saw Anon's flushed face. As soon as he looked back up, his eyes went straight to-

"E-EH?! W-WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?!"

"-!"

"Y-YOU'RE LOOKING UP MY-MY-"

"I-I WASN'T, I SWEAR! I WAS JUST-"

"YOU FUCKING PERVERT! GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE! W-WOAH!"

"Oh God..."

"KYAAAAA!"

In the span of a few seconds, Natsuki had tumbled out of the swivel chair, box in hand, and onto Anon as the entire setup came crashing down, books flying everywhere. With such a commotion caused, to no one's surprise, Monika came rushing over.

"Oh my goodness, is everything okay?" Monika asked worriedly as she helped Natsuki to her feet.

"Yeah yeah yeah I'm FINE. Just get off me already!" Natsuki angrily brushed the club president off of her. "Just-leave me alone...please." Natsuki kept her head lowered.

"What did you do?" Monika sternly asked the young man, her hands by her side. Anon swallowed nervously.

"I-I didn't do anything, I swear! I was just...helping her steady the chair..." Anon desperately pleaded his case.

"Yeah right! You set me up you fucking...NGH! And Monika! Are you trying to kill your club members or something?!"

"I-" Monika looked like she was about to say something, but decided against it. "-I'm sorry. Y-you two should...sort this out..; I don't want to interfere...so...yeah..." And with that, Monika awkwardly shuffled away.

The air was tense. Neither member said anything.

"Natsuki-" Anon hesitantly approached Natsuki, only for Natsuki to aggressively push him away.

"Get the fuck away from me you SICKO!" Natsuki seethed. As Anon started to walk away in shame, Natsuki suddenly noticed something on the floor. "Oh no! My..."

"Huh?" Anon turned around to see Natsuki kneeling down in front of one of her manga series which had flipped open. Upon closer look, it turned out that it had landed badly and one of the pages was bent and had a long diagonal crease down the middle. Natsuki tried desperately to smoothen the crease out, but gave up after a short while and slammed it on the floor.

Anon held his breath, waiting for the nuclear fallout.

To his surprise, Natsuki simply lowered her head and started crying.

"...sob...sob..."

Anon stood in front of the poor girl, completely at a loss for what to do.

"Natsuki...are you-" Anon started, trying his best to be as gentle as possible.

"N-NO!" Natsuki cut him off as more tears started to pour out. She held her forearm tightly. "It's just...every day is...s-so hard..." The pink-haired girl whimpered out between stifles and sniffles. Anon could only look on in sympathy and understanding as Natsuki continued crying. "I-I didn't mean to take it out on you. I really didn't!" Natsuki looked sadly at Anon, her eyes glossy with tears and her cheeks puffy.

"Hey, hey, it's okay alright? I know you didn't mean any of it. Here; I'll pick all of this up for you." Anon knelt down and started picking up Natsuki's manga and carefully slotting them back into the box. All the while, Natsuki watched in guilt and sorrow. As Anon started to wrap up, he took on volume and set it aside. "Ah-this is the volume we're moving on to, right? We can read this when you're feeling better, okay?" Anon smiled, hoping it would make the girl feel better.

"..sniff..."

Natsuki looked at the young man. Her mouth started to open, but no words seemed to come out, until finally...

"...Y-you're...you're really nice to me..." Natsuki said. Anon was completely taken aback by her statement, but decided not to probe on it. "Aha, well, I'm just trying to be kind to everyone, yeah? We can, we can read this tomorrow if...you don't feel up to it today..." Anon suggested. Natsuki could tell he was slightly down about not being able to continue reading, but she went with it nonetheless. "N-No...tomorrow..." she said as she wiped her eyes.

"Okay..." Anon sighed.

"You two okay?" Monika called from the teacher's desk. Natsuki looked down again, but thankfully, Anon came to her rescue. "Yeah, we're good. Is it time to share poems?"

"Yep! We might not have enough time if we wait!"

"Alright." Anon turned to a now calm Natsuki. "Hey. You wanna trade?"

"S-sure..." Natsuki looked away, her face turning red.

"Alright, let me just get it." Anon turned to find his bag, but before he could take a step, he felt a tug on his blazer sleeve. It was Natsuki.

"Thanks..." she said, still avoiding eye contact.

"Hehe...no problem." Anon gave Natsuki a wide Sayori-like smile, causing Natsuki's stomach to flutter and for the first time since yesterday, she smiled as well. To Anon's relief, Natsuki's mood seemed to be improving and it seemed to have improved even more after reading his poem.

"Wow." Natsuki said after finishing Anon's poem. "I mean, it's really good! It's really good, okay? You just want me to say it, don't you?"

"I didn't even say anything, but...thanks?" Anon shrugged innocently.

"NNN-you are just...ugh! Although I will say this, what's with the use of big words towards the end? You kept the overall theme of the poem the same and it's still really good, but I just gotta ask this."

"W-Well..." Anon rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I just...Yuri gave me some advice yesterday, and it's not like I didn't appreciate yours, but...I just felt like...I don't know, I should probably follow some of hers as well...it's the least I could do after knocking her books on the floor."

Natsuki could barely control her laughter. "Pfft-you seriously did that? Wow, you really are an idiot! Hehehe! B-But...thank you for doing that...I...I'm sure she appreciates it."

"I don't know...I'll ask her when we share poems later." Anon turned towards Yuri, who was in the process of sharing her poem with Sayori. Yuri looked slightly uncomfortable and was rubbing her left arm, but before he could say anything, Natsuki beat him to it.

"Tell me more about what happened? How did you manage to knock into someone who has frikin purple hair?" Natsuki pit her hands on her hips.

"Hey, in my defence, she was rushing out of my classroom; I think she probably got the wrong class or something. And it was like what? First period? I was still in sleeping mode, okay?"

"Snort-HAHAHA! I would kill to see that happen; it might even make me like going to school for once! HAHAHA!" Natsuki burst out into laughter.

"Okay, I get it...I'm an idiot...you happy now?"

"Pfft-happy?! I'm overjoyed! I don't think I've every laughed this hard in my entire life! Hahaha!" Natsuki continued laughing, but when she stopped, she had a serious look on her face. "But you better not do that again! I will kill you if you do!"

"Wait, didn't you just say you would KILL to see me make a fool out of myself? Why would you want to KILL me if I do it again?"

"I-!" Natsuki nearly choked on nothing. "W-well, Th-that's because, it's not about YOU, dummy! It's...RRR! You are just...a pain in my ass, you know that?!"

"Heh Heh...it's okay. I'm not THAT stupid. I know what you really mean and I gotta say that's pretty sweet."

"E-Eh?! What on Earth are you-sigh...no; I refuse to get angry again. Just-tell me what you think of my poem and we can be done with this shit."

"Well, it is a tad bit longer than yesterday's..."

"Yesterdays was way too short...I was just warming up! You seriously didn't think that yesterday's was the best I could do, right?"

"No, of course not..." Anon shook his head.

"Anyway, the message is pretty straightforward in this poem; I doubt I have to explain it." Natsuki said as Anon took one more quick scan over it.

"Yeah, you're right. And you know what? I actually think this poem's quite sick. Well, sick in a good way I mean. The simplicity works wonders with this poem and I still managed to figure the meaning somewhat quickly and I AM a dummy after all...heh heh..." Anon tried joking, but all Natsuki did was look away in embarrassment.

"D-Don't quote me! RRR!" Natsuki's fists clenched and her arms tightly locked down by her sides, but Anon could see a slight smile form as he turned back to the poem. "Hmm...and I think it's really nice of you to...still treat this... "Amy"...like everyone else despite her...weird...habits., or at least, that's what you want others to think when reading this poem. Opinions are like buttholes right? Everyone has one."

"That's right! I'm so sick of people judging others based solely on ONE thing they do that others don't! It's stupid and dumb and these people should just eat it! Who cares what someone likes, as long as they're not hurting anyone, and it makes them happy?" Natsuki slowed herself down after seeing Anon's slightly amused look. "...a-and...I think people really need to learn to respect others for liking weird things...th-that's all...N-not that I know anyone who likes weird stuff, I never-I simply just-WILL YOU STOP LAUGHING AT ME?!"

"I wasn't laughing!" Anon held his hands up defensively. "I just think its real cute how you're so worked up over your own poem!"

"I'M NOT CUTE!" Natsuki screeched.

"Okay! Okay! Jesus...one more thing before we end this; what came to your mind when you wrote this poem? Was there anyone that inspired you to write this; someone who likes weird hobbies maybe?"

Once again, Natsuki looked down, but this time it wasn't out of embarrassment or to hide her blushing, this time there was a look of sadness and guilt on her face. "Y-you really had to ask that, didn't you..?" Natsuki muttered softly.

"Ah-I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable...my question...wasn't...the best...I know poems can be a really personal thing so...I'm sorry for pushing too far...You don't have to answer it if you're not comfortable: I understand." Anon apologised after seeing Natsuki's nervous look.

"Thanks..." Natsuki said finally. "Well-I guess that's it for our poems then...I should probably go share this with someone else now..." The pink-haired girl said with a surprising lack of confidence in her voice.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea..." Anon replied with equal awkwardness. As Natsuki plodded on to find Sayori, Anon's attention turned to Yuri. While yesterday's poem received generally positive reception from the other club members, Yuri seemed slightly distant and disappointed by it. There was also...yet another awkward moment between the two, but Anon was hoping that implementing big words would be enough to convince her.

With a confident breath, Anon walked up to Yuri

...

"Okay everyone!"

After about thirty minutes of poem sharing, Monika finally called out to the club with her more than familiar catchphrase. As the other club members gathered around her, Monika could tell that something was clearly off. Sayori was smiling her usual smile, but everyone else seemed...not into it. Monika didn't know why, but she could tell nonetheless. Natsuki seemed to be in a good mood for once, while Anon looked slightly troubled and kept on glancing over at Yuri.

"O-oh...Th-they couldn't be...could they?" Monika asked herself nervously. As Monika looked over at Yuri, she was looking down at her feet and not at anyone; certainly not at Natsuki.

Monika grew slightly suspicious, but decided to move on with her announcement.

"...e-err I-have something extra planned today, so if everyone could come sit at the front of the room..."

"Is this about the festival?" Natsuki butted in straight away, her hands at her hips once again.

"Well, sort of..." Monika smiled innocently.

"Ugh! Do we really have to do something for the festival? It's not like we can put together anything good in just a few days. We'll just end up embarrassing ourselves instead of getting any new members." Natsuki ranted out. Yuri looked like she had something to say as well, but hid it just as quickly as thinking about it, while Anon looked unsure. Only Sayori was smiling.

"Don't worry so much!" Monika smiled sweetly, hoping to calm everyone else's nerves. "We're going to keep it simple, okay? We won't need much more than a few decorations. Sayori has been working on posters and I've designed some pamphlets we can give out during the event." Sayori nodded in agreement.

"Okay; that's great and all, but that doesn't tell us what we're actually going to be doing for the event." Natsuki said, still sceptical.

"We're gonna be performing!" Sayori cheered before Monika could say a word. "Yay!" Anon cheered right behind Sayori. Natsuki's face immediately turned red.

"Damn...how much did he know..?" Natsuki thought as she suspiciously eyed Anon down. However, her attention turned to the only other person who was as nervous as her.

"P..." Yuri muttered out, her eyes wide in terror. "Um...Monika..." the terrified girl looked away. Unfortunately, only Natsuki seemed to notice her peril.

"Yeah! We're going to have a poetry performance..." Monika smiled again, but it soon died down after seeing Yuri reduced to her default pose. "E-each of us..." Monika continued, this time eyeing down Natsuki, who looked away guiltily "Each of us are going to choose a poem to recite during the event, but the cool part is, we're also going to let anyone else come up and recite poems too. Sayori's putting it on all the posters in case anyone wants to prepare ahead of time."

"Ehehe!" Sayori holds up a poster from behind her. From the looks of things, she was in the middle of colouring it. Natsuki face palmed almost instantaneously. "Monika, please tell me you didn't put those posters up, did you?" she said while rubbing the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger.

"Erm..." Monika nervously looked to the side.

"Oh my fucking-I knew it; I just knew it! You would go ahead and pull shit like this, wouldn't you?" Natsuki snapped, causing Monika to jump slightly.

"Well, sorry for wanting to make this club something big, okay?" Monika defended herself in annoyance.

"It's not that-! It's just...you didn't bother to tell me or...Y-Yuri...a-about any of this! Anon, you knew about this?"

"Yeah, Sayori told me..." Anon sighed. "I-I'm sorry for not telling you about this."

"No it's not your fault dumbass; you have no reason too, but you!" Natsuki turned to face the club president. "It's not like I don't want to share my...poems...I just felt like I would have been more on board with it if you told me sooner-which is what you should have done; as president." Natsuki huffed. Yuri, meanwhile, said nothing. Instead, she hung her head low.

"Guys..." Sayori's shoulder's sunk in disappointment.

"No Sayori..." Monika said, to everyone's surprise. "Natsuki, y-you're right. All of us, nervous or not, we never shared our poems in front of anyone until Tuesday...and I guess I kinda overlooked the fact that it's a lot to ask for them to share...I just thought..." Monika faced Natsuki once more. "...that you guys would be...okay with that..." Natsuki again looked down at her feet. "...so I'm sorry. B-But-! I still think we should give it our best!" Monika looked back to everyone with newfound determination. "If we put on a good performance, then it will inspire others to do the same! And the more people who perform, the better we'll be able to show everyone what Literature is all about!"

"Yeah!" Sayori enthusiastically agrees. "It's about expressing your feelings, being intimate with yourself, finding new horizons and having fun!"

"That's right!" Monika smiled, now in a much better mood. "And it's those reasons that we're all in the club today! Don't you want to share that with others? To inspire them to find the same feeling that brought you guys here in the first place? I know you guys do. Anon? Do you?" Monika looked at Anon.

"Aha...well, I also was unsure the first time Sayori told me, but she convinced me to, well, participate in this club activity, so...yeah. I guess I'm in."

"Splendid! Natsuki? What about you?"

Natsuki folded her arms and blushed slightly. "Monika...I know you have the best interests at heart, I know. And I never said I didn't want to perform...I just...like I said, wish you'd tell me sooner. I mean, I would have rejected it straight away back then, but..." Natsuki looked at Anon shyly. "I learned today that...there's nothing to be ashamed about; nothing." Anon blushed as well. "A-and even if I still didn't, I might as well get it over with anyway, so, yeah. I'm in."

"That's great to hear, Natsuki...Yuri? Are you on board as well?"

Yuri looked dejectedly at everyone else. It was the first time throughout the whole club meeting that she had peered out from her curtain of purple hair and seeing everyone else's expectant faces just...

"I-I..." Yuri looked away, her face burning up.

"It's okay Yuri!" Sayori encouraged. "You can do it! We'll all be here for you!" Yuri kept her head down for a good while before nodding, although everyone could tell she felt miserable about this. Everyone except...

"Yay! You're the best Yuri!" Sayori squealed with glee, but all Yuri could do was look down even further. With a tired sigh, Monika decided to finally move on.

"Thank you Yuri...now, let's move on...I'd like each of you to go grab one of your poems; we're gonna practice reciting them in front of everyone!"

"I swear to GOD!" Natsuki flared up, blushing profusely.

"I-!" Yuri looked up, completely mortified, before looking back down once again.

"Natsuki," Monika sighed, completely ignoring the broken girl. "If you can't recite your poem in front of the club, how do you expect it to do it in front of strangers?" Natsuki folded her arms and looked away, but loosened up when she saw Anon's firm smile. Yuri, on the other hand, remained cowering in fear. Despite Monika trying to draw attention away from the trembling girl, Sayori didn't seem to notice.

"Come on Yuri! You can do it, alright? We believe in you!" Sayori moved closer to Yuri, seemingly in for a hug, but all it did was make Yuri back away in fear. Confused, Sayori looked pleadingly at Monika, but all she did was look at Natsuki in disappointment. "Sayori..." Anon tried to step in, but Sayori only moved closer to Yuri.

"Yuri, Monika has been trying really hard to, you know, make this club explode; get new members. The least we could do as friends is help them out a little bit, right?" Sayori smiled, but Yuri wasn't listening.

"Sayori," Now it was Natsuki's turn to step in, much to Monika's and Anon's surprise. "I don't think you quite understand-"

"I-I have to go!" All of a sudden, Yuri grabbed her bag and rushed out of the clubroom, leaving it in the same uncomfortable silence as yesterday.

No one said a word for a good five minutes, until Natsuki finally spoke up. "Wow. Nice going Sayori."

"Me? What did I do?" Sayori asked, completely bewildered.

"You did nothing Sayori." Monika said. "What Natsuki means-"

"What I mean, is that you already know Yuri is shy, yet you deliberately put her on the spot; not once, TWICE. Just leave her alone for God's sake!"

"Natsuki, I don't think you have any right to lecture Sayori on how to talk to Yuri." Monika said harshly, causing Natsuki to shrink back.

"Sayori, you did nothing wrong, okay?" Anon put his hand on Sayori's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "You were just trying to be encouraging and make Yuri feel comfortable, we're not gonna fault you for that." Anon did not notice, but Sayori was starting to tremble and her eyes starting to fall.

"But she did!" Natsuki snapped.

"Okay Natsuki, that's enough from you-you two, you guys are free to go home, alright? I look forward to seeing your poems tomorrow!" Monika gave off a fake smile, which only Anon reciprocated.

"Yeah. I look forward to that too, Monika. Come on Sayori, let's get out of here."

As Anon and a very despondent Sayori walked out of the clubroom, Monika faced Natsuki angrily. The pink-haired girl shifted uncomfortably from leg to leg.

No one said anything for a long time.

The two girls simply stared at each other...until...

"You never spoke to Yuri at all." Monika finally said, her words ice cold. Natsuki looked down and shook her head. "You never apologised, you never got her to come back to the club, you didn't even bother LOOKING for her, did you?!" Natsuki was starting to tear up.

"N-NO! I did, okay?!" Natsuki squeaked. "I DID look for her! B-But...I didn't get to talk to her..."

...

"Yuri?" Natsuki peered around the corner to see Yuri curled up with her head between her legs...

...and Dean next to her, rubbing her back.

Natsuki clenched her fists, but hid around the corner before she could do anything too drastic. Instead, she listened in on their conversation.

"Do you want me to...walk back with you to the club?"

"N-No! I-I mean...Uuh..."

Natsuki peeped. Dean was moving closer to the sobbing girl. "Hey...it's okay if you don't want me to...I'll just...let wait outside the club-"

"No Dean..." Yuri interrupted. "I-I don't want to...go back..."

"That's fine, we'll just come back tomorrow-fresh start, new day, everyone will have forgotten-"

"N-No! Th-that's not what I meant! I meant...I'm not going back to the club..." Yuri looks away sadly. Dean, however, looks surprised. From behind her wall, Natsuki was starting to choke up.

"What?! Yuri, why not? You only joined for, what-less than a week? You can't give up now!"

"Yes Dean, please...please convince her to stay..." Natsuki watched from around the corner.

"I-I...I can't go back...I-I was so unreasonable and unlikable...I-I..." Yuri looked down in shame. "I...I raised my voice...uuh...Natsuki was right, wasn't she? I...I...I know nothing!"

"Yuri, don't say that, come on. I already told you, she didn't mean it; she was just frustrated; everyone will be when they share something they hold dear to them...hell; I go angry when my friend in kindergarten said he hated my drawing of my mother-that pissed me off! You were just defending yourself and standing up for yourself! I'm proud of you for that!"

"B-But the rest of the club...th-they...they probably hate me now..."

"Yuri...they do not hate you. I promise...Does Monika look like the type of girl who would hate someone for simply standing up for themselves, for explaining their side of the story? These girls...I don't know them that well, I don't know Anon either, but I'm sure they love you and care about you a lot!"

"But I have you, don't I?" Yuri looked up at Dean, her eyes glistening with tears. Natsuki squinted to get a closer look.

"Yuri..." Dean looked deeply and sadly into Yuri's broken eyes. "I..." The young man seemed to struggle with his words and for a second, Natsuki thought he would agree.

"Don't say yes, don't say yes..." Natsuki muttered from behind the wall.

"Yuri..." Dean started. "I-I'm honoured that...y-you...sigh...I'm honoured that you feel this way about me...and I really like being your friend...it's just...I think you think too highly of me...I'm not that great..."

"D-Dean..? Wh-what are you saying? Y-you are! You're not like K-Kei, o-or Goro...or...Anon..." Natsuki winced when she heard that last name. "...you're kind and-and understanding...y-you treat me like everyone else...y-you don't think I'm weird, or my hobbies are weird and even if you do, you accept me despite of them..."

"Yuri, I'm flattered; really I am, it's just...you don't just have me, alright? You have the club! They all love you for who you are as well!"

"B-But-!"

"Yuri, please. They don't think negatively of you, okay? You trust me, right?" Dean placed his hand atop Yuri's calmly. The young maiden jumped slightly, but immediately relaxed soon after. She looked at Dean. His face showed that of concern, but he was also serious.

With a deep breath, Yuri finally relented.

"O-okay Dean...I-I trust you..."

From behind her hiding spot, Natsuki closed her eyes and heaved a heavy sigh of relief. "Thank you..." As she looked back at the couple, she grew into a panic as they both started to get up from the bench.

"B-But...c-can I go back tomorrow..? I-I don't think I..."

"It's okay." Dean finished Yuri's sentence for her. "I understand if...now isn't the best time to return...but I believe you can do it; you're strong Yuri."

"Ahaha...th-thanks Dean..." Yuri laughed nervously, wiping her eyes. As soon as she dried herself, she then realised that Dean was staring at her. "D-Dean?" the maiden asked nervously, her heart starting to beat faster. The same could be said for the young man, whose face was inching closer and closer.

"Yuri I..." Dean whispered softly through parted lips. "Yuri..."

Natsuki watched intently from her hiding spot as the two moved closer together until their lips finally touched. "...sigh...th-they're so happy together..." Natsuki thought, her lip starting to quiver. "...m-maybe I..." Shaking her head in anguish, Natsuki ran off in tears, leaving the couple to themselves.

...

"Wow. Nice going, Sayori."

"A-AH! STOP!"

"Wow. Nice going, Sayori."

"P-PLEASE!"

Sayori clutched her head.

"Sayori, you did nothing wrong, okay?" "But she did!"

"I-I DIDN'T!"

Sayori looked at her bathroom mirror. It had been completely fogged up.

"N-Natsuki..?" Sayori squinted her eyes at the mirror to get a closer look. Sure enough, Natsuki stared back at her.

"Wow. Nice going, Sayori."

"N-Natsuki..?! W-what are you-"

"Yuri hates you now...after the shit you pulled..."

"Sh-she would never! Sh-she's my friend!"

"Friend? Really, Sayori? She's your friend? Going by that logic, everyone who ever said hi to you is your friend-give me a break Sayori! You are NOT her friend! Friends don't embarrass friends in front of others! Friends don't throw away their friend's bottles of expensive wine!"

"I-I didn't want Yuri to get into trouble!" Sayori cried.

"Bullshit! You didn't even think about Yuri-you would have known how awful she felt after your retarded ass stunt!"

"I-I DID, I DID!" Sayori wailed as she clutched her head tighter. "I DID!"

"Sayori, are you okay? Why are the bathroom lights off?"

Sayori snapped out from her trance as the lights flicked on.

"Sayori, what are you doing in there? You're not playing in the sink again, are you?" Midori called out from outside.

"Ehehe...n-no Mom! I-I just forgot about the light..." Sayori lied through her teeth.

"Alright bun! Don't stay in there too long, okay? Your dinner's almost ready!"

"Okay Mom!"

Sayori blinked as she looked back at the bathroom mirror. There was no Natsuki.

There was no Sayori.

All there was...was a broken shell of a girl.

"...sob...sob..."

Falling to her knees, Sayori wrapped her arms around her legs and cried.

And cried...

And cried...

...

"I'm going out...you err...help yourself to...the food..?"

"Err...o-okay Dad..."

Natsuki watched awkwardly as Shinzo shuffled out of the house, closing the door behind him. It had been a few days since Natsuki had even seen her father; mostly he came home really late and left really early, and he was probably too drunk when he came home to even get angry. Tonight was different; Shinzo actually bought dinner, but it didn't seem like he ate any himself.

"...sigh...noodles again...thanks Dad..." Natsuki looked disappointedly at the singular cup of instant-ramen. "I-I shouldn't complain." Natsuki slapped herself internally when she remembered what her mother told her the other day. "Don't worry Dad; Chef Tamura will whip you a dinner fit for a king." The pink haired girl smiled to herself as she unpacked the cup. Within minutes, she had her dinner ready and in front of her.

"Right. Utensils. Silly me." Natsuki got up and walked back into the kitchen. While searching the drawers, Natsuki turned to look at the dish rack instead. Sure enough, there were cleaned utensils.

"Dad of the year..." the girl said to herself as she walked over to collect her cutlery. However, as she did, something else caught her eye.

"Holy shit...is this for real?" Natsuki grabbed a plate from the back of the drying rack. It was relatively small and had the cutest design of a beach she had ever seen; the waves were bright blue and the sand was sparkling yellow; even the sun had a cute smiley face on it.

"W-wow...sniff..." Natsuki started to tear up. "...sniff...I-I...gosh...sniff...ahaha...h-how old was I when they bought this..?" Natsuki turned the plate around and about, inspecting it like it was evidence for a crime scene. "...sniff...ahaha...I...sniff...g-get a hold of yourself, girl!" Natsuki sniffed away her tears before putting the plate back on the drying rack. "Dinner, of course."

Within minutes, Natsuki had hungrily wolfed down the last of the instant-ramen. After a quick shower, she retired to her room and took out her school notes. "Ugh! Can I not do homework? Is that allowed?" Natsuki narrowed her eyes disapprovingly at her homework. "Pfft-who am I kidding; I got Murakami tomorrow, so...I might as well kill myself if I'm not doing it..."

All of a sudden, her phone vibrated. It was a reminder from Monika in the group chat.

"Oh-right! I still need to write a goddamn poem!" Natsuki winced. "I-I better reply to-" Natsuki stopped, remembering what had happened earlier. "I-I better apologise to Yuri, that's what I should do..." Natsuki tapped Yuri's icon.

"Yuri, I just wanted to say...Yuri I...ah who am I kidding; she won't even respond...fucking..." In a huff, Natsuki threw her phone onto her bed. "She probably hates me and I deserve it. Nothing I write can ever-"

Natsuki's brain lit up.

She looked at her foolscap paper and thought back to the plate she held earlier.

She started writing and within a few minutes, she had written down the final touches.

**But if you let me by your side**

**Your beach, your own escape**

**You'll learn to love yourself again.**

...

**End of Chapter Nine**


	10. Chapter 10: Raincloud

"Ugh..."

It was late at night. Or in actual fact, it was early in the morning. A Friday morning was always good news to every student, parent, or anyone who was working a 9 to 5 job; the mood would always be great; everyone would be looking forward to unwinding for the weekends...

...but it wasn't looking so hot for one particular man.

"...beh...f-fuck...N-Natsu...N-Nat..."

Shinzo staggered his way down the dull grey streets. The dim glow of faulty street lamps elongated his shadow as he approached his apartment.

"N-N...N-NAT!" The man growled as he pushed his way into the lift lobby. A teenager loitering by the mail boxes greeted him with a scowl.

"What're you looking at, old man?" the youngster sneered. Shinzo gave the man a sinister look.

"...sniff...huh...bleh...y-w-wh-what did you just...you...did you just..."

"Hey speak up, old man! What-have your vocal cords been shredded by lung cancer or something?"

"...bah..! I-I'll shred you to bits you punk!" Shinzo barked. The young man scoffed and started walking out, but Shinzo grabbed his arm forcefully. "H-Hey! The fuck are you doing?! Get off me, old man!" The youngster tried pulling himself away, but Shinzo's grip was surprisingly strong. The young man started to sweat.

"L-Let go of me! Fuck off!" He tried to pry himself off again, this time with added desperation. Shinzo's grip stayed tight.

"Y-You...FUCK OFF!"

"ARGH!"

With a swift punch, the youngster had managed to knock Shinzo onto the floor, loosening his grip on his arm. Brushing himself off and rubbing his wrist, the youngster took a good look at the downed man before running off.

"RRR I'LL COME FOR YOU, YOU LITTLE SHIT!" Shinzo roared into the darkness. "COME ON THEN! LET'S GO!"

After a painstaking elevator ride, Shinzo made it to his floor. Thankfully, his apartment was close to the lift landing, and Shinzo merely hobbled a few steps to reach his front door. Pushing the door open, Shinzo entered his pitch black apartment, the only light coming from the kitchen. As he wavered closer, he could see his daughter inside. She looked like she was cooking something.

"Hey..." The drunken man grunted. Natsuki did not respond. "HEY!" he called considerably louder. This time, the pink-haired girl jumped.

"O-oh...H-Hi...D-Dad..." Natsuki greeted nervously. Her heart was already starting to hum.

"Why are you up so late..?" Shinzo said mid-yawn and mid-burp. Natsuki tried her best not to retch at the stench.

"I-I couldn't sleep...s-so...I-I m-made m-myself s-supper...b-but you can have it! I-I don't want it anymore..."

"Y-You're wasting my food...You ungrateful little-!" Shinzo started to raise his voice, but something caught his attention that made him stop mid-yell. Natsuki let out a small yelp and backed herself up against the kitchen counter, holding her breath.

Shinzo stood in the kitchen door, his hand stuck in mid-air. Natsuki's vision was still blurry, but she swore she could see his hand trembling slightly. He seemed to be focused on something.

Natsuki swallowed visibly. Shinzo started to move again, but instead of doing anything aggressive, he simply covered his face with his hands.

"Go to your room before I start getting violent..." he muttered. Natsuki remained glued to the spot, still completely frightened.

"NOW!" Shinzo roared. This time, Natsuki knew better than to stick around and ran straight to her room, locking the door behind her, leaving Shinzo alone in the kitchen. After massaging his face for a few minutes, he finally stopped and walked over to the counter.

He reached over to the dish rack and took out a small plate. It had a beach painted on it with the ocean and the sun added on. It looked cute; the sun even had a smiley face on it.

"O-oh..." Shinzo said to himself, his voice starting to break. "N-Natsu..." Tears started to form in his eyes as he brought the plate closer. "N-Natsune...I-I-I...Wh-what am I supposed to do...sniff...wh-what do you want me to DO?!"

Clutching the plate tightly, the man fell to his knees and cried loudly. From inside her room, Natsuki could hear her father wailing.

For a second she almost wanted to run out and console him.

But that was a shitty idea.

Instead, she covered her ears and went back to sleep.

...

Sayori sat in her bed. Sunlight shone through her windows; it was morning and time for her to go to school.

However, she simply sat in her bed and stared aimlessly at nothing. The only sound in her room was the fan's soft hum as it oscillated about.

"Wow. Nice going, Sayori."

Memories of the previous day played back in the depressed girl's head. She remembered clearly how she made Yuri upset. Sayori always knew Yuri was shy and would get easily embarrassed, but yesterday was especially bad for her; she was pretty much mortified. Sayori could picture her face very clearly: The same old nervous look, the one where her face turns completely red and she hides behind her hair; basically any look that made everyone in the club feel bad for her.

"Wow. Nice going, Sayori."

Oh it was so obvious now; Yuri's probably angry at her...she most likely doesn't wish to speak to Sayori ever again. Yuri's not stupid; she won't risk another embarrassing incident where she has to retreat behind her revetment of hair. Natsuki was right, wasn't she?

"Wow. Nice going, Sayori."

Oh. Natsuki.

Sayori's emotionless stare faltered slightly to reveal a tinge of anger. There was something else that happened yesterday that also added to the shitstorm.

Something new.

"So...let's just say that one day, Natsuki asked to walk home with you...what would you do?"

"What? Nani? Sayori, what kind of question is that?! You're kinda putting me on the spot here..."

"Ehehe..."

Anon's answer echoed in her head, bouncing off her skull and back into her brain.

"I mean...I think I would be afraid of what she'd do to me if I turned her down...I figured I kinda owe her after bending one of her mangas...and also that...other thing..."

"Isn't she so cute and fun to be around?"

Eww. Sayori nearly threw up in her mouth after remembering that line.

"That has nothing to do with what I just said!" Anon's face turned bright red.

"Ahahaha! You admitted it!"

Sayori wiped her eyes. All she could see was Anon's blushing face. Sure; he was mostly flustered by her teasing, but the important thing was; Sayori was being horrible.

Well, she was, wasn't she? Putting Anon on the spot and giving him an impossible decision only to satisfy her own feelings. That was pretty messed up. Teasing him for being kind and thoughtful: double messed up.

Being jealous of your best friend? Inexcusable.

"Wow. Nice going, Sayori." Nice going indeed. By now, Sayori's eyes were filled with tears. She wasn't wailing in agony or ugly-crying; she simply sat there; emotionless with tears slowly streaming down her cheeks. She didn't even bother to wipe them away; she just sat there on her bed.

It was already 8:25 and Sayori still wasn't dressed, nor had eaten her breakfast or packed her things. She didn't even write a poem. Sayori thought of how disappointed Monika would be.

"Sayori? Y-you didn't write a poem? B-But why? I always thought you would be more responsible..."

"I...I'M SORRY!" Sayori screamed, before realising she was still in her bedroom. "F-FUCK! AAAHHHHH!" the girl continued screaming in agony, this time accompanied with slapping her mattress with her hands. Wiping her eyes with an aggressive stroke of her forearm, Sayori pushed herself off her bed and walked straight to her desk. A blank piece of A4-Paper stared back at her; it was the poem she wanted to write yesterday but never go around to even starting it.

Sayori grabbed the nearest pen and started writing words down. There was no time for a full poem; or even a half poem. Sayori simply jotted down what was in her head the second she thought of it.

Finally, after a snail-paced morning, Sayori emerged from her room, fully dressed, bag-packed; the only thing missing was breakfast in her stomach, but at that point, what even was an appetite. Without saying another word, Sayori stormed out of her house and made her way to school.

"Sayori! You're late again!" Kouichi called out as Sayori approached the gate. To his surprise, Sayori stormed right past him without giving him a second glance. "Excuse me, young lady! You're getting a detention for this!" Again, no response from the girl. She simply walked into the school building and disappeared. "Jeez. What a disrespectful child...tsk-tsk-tsk..." Kouichi shook his head in disappointment.

As Sayori neared her classroom, the only thing she could hear was teachers going through their topics, which meant she was definitely late for her class. Friday morning mathematics was already bad enough, but being late and with a fierce teacher to boot, Sayori could tell this morning would suck hard. As she neared the door, she didn't even bother to put on a smiley face-

"Ehehe...s-sorry I'm late Mr. Daisuke!" Sayori bounced into her classroom with a nervous smile. All eyes were on her.

"Sayori..." Mr. Daisuke looked at her sternly. "May I know why you're late again?" The young male teacher folded his arms, making Sayori feel uneasy. It was becoming increasingly hard to come up with believable excuses.

"I err...overslept again...s-sorry!" Sayori gave a quick bow, but Mr. Daisuke wasn't having any of it. "This is the-I don't know how many-th time you've said you've overslept. I don't know what you do at home and it's none of my business to know, but you have to start taking responsibility, okay Sayori? This is the last time I'm going to let you off with a warning; subsequent late comings will have more severe punishments. Do you understand me?"

"Yes Mr. Daisuke! I promise I won't be late again!" Sayori cheerfully danced over to her seat.

"You say that but...sigh, never mind; I believe you Sayori. Don't let me down, okay?" Mr. Daisuke relented after seeing Sayori's innocent smile.

"I won't!"

"I'm holding you to that."

As Mr. Daisuke carried on with his lesson, Sayori took out her large set of mathematics notes and immediately hid behind them, holding back tears.

"Sniff...come on Sayori! Sniff...y-you can get through this...sniff..."

Wiping her eyes, Sayori set her notes down and tried paying attention, but for some reason, she just couldn't seem to focus and within twenty minutes, her energy had already been drained.

"I knew I couldn't do it..." Sayori says to herself in defeat.

"Hmm?"

"Huh?"

Sayori turned to her table partner Koko. Apparently she had heard her. "You couldn't do what, Sayori?" The girl asked, curious.

"Oh, nothing...It's nothing to worry about Koko...j-just focus on the lesson, okay? Don't worry about me..."

"O-Okay..." Koko shrugged and returned her attention to the whiteboard. Sayori, on the other hand, closed her eyes, resting her head on the table.

...

"I can't do it."

"Yes you can."

"NO. I. CAN'T."

"YES. YOU. CAN."

"UGH! Come ON Monika! It already took a lot out of me to even FIND her on Wednesday! And look how well THAT turned out!"

"Natsuki-Come on. You told me yesterday that you felt guilty; I have yet to see if it's true."

"It IS true! I just...ergh! Do you know how hard it is to talk to Yuri? The fact that she doesn't want to associate with us, PLUS the fact that she HATES me; I don't even think I can get forty yards within her without her running away with her face in her hair!"

It was already recess time and Monika and Natsuki were eating together. Monika decided to take the time to talk Natsuki into apologising to Yuri once and for all. However, her efforts seemed to be in vain as Natsuki brushed them off once again.

"Forget it! I had my chance and I bottled it! I should just give up!" Natsuki huffed as she took another mouth of her sandwich.

"Natsuki..." Monika looked visibly concerned.

"Jeez Monika: Did you not hear a word I just said-?!"

"No, I'm not talking about that anymore; is-is that all you're having for recess? I didn't say anything because I thought it was just a snack. Aren't you hungry?"

Natsuki bit her lip. "I err...n-no...I-I'm not hungry..."

"Are you sure?" Monika asked as she searched for her wallet. "...because if you are, I can-"

"I said I'm not hungry!" Natsuki snapped. Monika looked even more concerned now, but to Natsuki's relief, she decided to drop it. "Okay then...but if you do end up feeling hungry, make sure you get a good meal, alright?"

"Alright MOM!" Natsuki scoffed, causing Monika to roll her eyes. "What I eat is none of your business!"

"Hey-I'm just trying to look out for you, okay? Which is more than you've done for Yuri."

"YOU-! Ooh...you...you bitch. You fucking bitch, you did NOT just say that." Natsuki glared at her club president after that low blow.

"I was just kidding, for crying out loud!" Monika gasped. "But then again, it's still a bit true..."

"You have no idea what I've done for that girl. Okay, you know what? To get you off my ass, I'm gonna do it! Later on at the club, I will pull her aside and I will apologise to her. Not in front of you, but I WILL apologise. There-you happy?"

"Heheh...yes. I am happy." Monika smirked slyly at the pink-haired girl, who was by now fuming.

"Ergh! You are so...whatever! There-I'm done with my sandwich, let's go."

After washing their hands and mouth, Natsuki and Monika strolled out of the canteen and towards the school garden.

"You know: Dean and Yuri used to eat here during lunch and read Yuri's book together..." Monika says to Natsuki as they walked down the steps. "It wasn't for very long, it's just kinda where they started hanging out."

"Oh really? How do you know?" Natsuki asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, after we saw them in the library I went and talked to Dean and, you know, just asked him how they met and stuff like that...Dean said he was walking alone to meet his friends and he just so happened to see Kei harassing her, so...I don't know, he just kind of went over and stopped him. And from then on, they started hanging out."

"Wow. He really is as good as Yuri says..." Natsuki looked to the side, ashamed. "Now I feel bad for BM-ing him all the time in front of Yuri..."

"Honestly, I don't know. The two of them look very happy together and I am extremely happy for Yuri that she is able to find someone she can open up to..." Natsuki picks up a slight tinge of sadness in Monika's voice, but before she can probe further, Monika regains her composure. "...b-but yeah. I'm very happy for Yuri, although I'm honestly praying that it's real."

"Real? What do you mean?" Natsuki questioned the popular girl.

"Well, did you know that Dean and I were together for about a year?"

Natsuki nearly choked on her own spit.

"-! W-what?! Seriously?!"

"I don't blame you for not knowing; it wasn't even a real relationship. He just wanted to look cool in front of his group of friends: You know, top athlete and school favourite going out with a hot new freshman-"

"WOW! Okay...talk about being humble..." Natsuki scoffed.

"I'm just saying-! Anyway, yeah, it was all just an act. I mean, I was pretty invested in our relationship, so it pretty much destroyed me when I found out it was just to make himself look better..." Monika looked down sadly.

"Jeez. I-I didn't know this happened to you. I'm so sorry."

"No, you don't have to be sorry-it was my fault for being so clueless. No one likes the enthu-girl during orientations..."

"That includes me-I was pretty annoyed by your constant screaming, but hey-it's all in the past, right? I'll beat his ass up if he ever hurts you like that again." Natsuki gave Monika a reassuring grin, which seemed to surprise the heartbroken girl.

"Thanks Natsuki..." Monika smiled at her friend. Suddenly, Natsuki's face took on a grave expression.

"Y-you don't think that's what he's doing to Yuri...right?"

"That's what I thought first too...but then I realised-what's there for him to gain by being in a relationship with Yuri? I mean, no offense to Yuri, but...I don't think any guy who knows about the rumours wants to be even SEEN with her...and then when I asked him about it, he promised me that it was nothing like our faux relationship."

"Yeah, it better NOT be or I'll fucking kill him!" Natsuki seethed.

"You'll have to get in line if that happens..." Monika smiled. "And the times where I have seen them together, he does look like he genuinely wants to be friends with her: I mean, he failed his English mid-terms and now he's knee deep in novels, so...I guess he's actually invested in a relationship for once..."

"Hey-enough with that, okay? You'll find someone." Natsuki placed her hand on Monika's shoulder.

"Easy for you to say; you were literally GIVEN one the minute he said he read manga."

"WH-WHAT?!" Natsuki's eyes went wide.

"Ahaha!" Monika's mood suddenly improved. "My my! Does someone here have a little crush?" the popular girl smirked, wiggling her eyebrows. Meanwhile, Natsuki's face was starting to heat up.

"UUU-! I-I'M GOING TO KILL YOU MONIKA!" The pink-haired girl screamed as she started assaulting Monika with a barrage of small punches.

"O-OW! O-Okay-OW! N-Natsuki! OW!" Monika tried in vain to stop the petite girl, but the punches kept coming.

"I'M GONNA MAKE YOU SORRY YOU LITTLE-"

"Hey!"

Natsuki and Monika spun around to see a very cross looking Fumi. The girl stormed over to the fighting pair and quickly snatched Monika's arm. "What the fuck do you think you're doing you little punk?!" Fumi barked. By now, Natsuki's cheeks were redder than Fumi's hair. Everyone in the garden was staring at her. "Come on Monika; let's leave this little gremlin to play by herself."

"Fumi, it's okay: She was just-"

"Listen to me you little bitch!" Fumi suddenly got all up in Natsuki's face, shocking her. "If I ever see your tiny ass near Monika ever again, I'll crush you to a pulp even smaller than you already are, you hear me?!"

"Fumi, that's enough! Leave her alone already! I'll go with you, okay?" Monika cried out in exasperation.

"Hey! I can speak for myself, Monika! No-YOU listen Fumiko! If you ever speak to me like that again, I'm going to frikin' bash your frikin' head in! Now get the F out of my sight and go bend over in front of some mouth-breather like you did during last assembly!" Natsuki screeched, causing a few onlookers to laugh. Fumi, meanwhile, went red with embarrassment and covered her rear end.

"E-EH?!" The redhead stammered, her cheeks turning redder by the second.

"Now do you feel like leaving?" Monika asked her embarrassed friend sarcastically. Fumi gave Natsuki a death glare before swiftly departing with Monika.

"Ugh! I can't believe that sickening toddler would dare to say that shit! I swear to God I'm gonna frikin' kill her!" Fumi said to Monika as they walked out of the garden.

"Fumi-When the hell are you gonna let shit go? She wasn't even hurting me; it was a joke-"

"Yeah, sure. And I'm as much of a joke as her, is that what you're saying?" Fumi snapped. "GOD that was SO embarrassing!"

"No, no; that's not what I meant-"

"Good. Don't you dare forget that." Fumi warned. Monika merely grunted, but her friend wasn't so satisfied. "HEY. Are you going to forget that?" Fumi raised her voice. Monika sighed and shook her head. "You know I won't."

"Good."

And with that, the two girls resumed their walking. By now, the commotion had died down and it was almost time for classes again. However, before the two girls could part ways, they heard yet another commotion coming from the front gate. As they turned to look, Monika was pleasantly surprised to see Sayori. However, her happiness soon died down when she saw her frantic expression.

"Mio! Mio, I'm sorry! Mio, I'm so sorry!" Sayori frantically rushed to the gate where Mio was just entering. She had an empty Tupperware in her hand and her face was just as done. The girl paid no attention to her screaming best friend and simply walked past her. "Mio, please! I'm so sorry I forgot!"

"Sorry?! You're sorry?! Sorry doesn't even cut it! Do you know how hard of a time he gave me and...h-h...I needed you Sayori, and you just ditched me!" Mio tearfully squeaked.

"I-I'm sorry!" Sayori too was starting to cry. Oh, what a day it was, huh? Monika wanted to intervene, but was again held back by her guardian angel.

"Don't even get involved, Monika. It's just more incels squawking at each other."

"Let GO of me Fumi!" Monika pried herself out of Fumi's grip aggressively and bolted towards the arguing pair.

"You said you'd be there for me! You said you would be there to cheer me up! But you're nothing but a liar!" Mio pushed past Sayori and stormed away in anguish, leaving the distraught girl alone. "Mio! W-wait! C-C-COME BACK!"

"Sayori!" Monika ran up to the snivelling girl. "Sayori! M-my goodness...a-are you-?"

"No Monika! I'm NOT!" Sayori screaming, breaking Monika's eardrums. "J-Just leave me alone!"

"Sayori, no!" Monika suddenly reached in and wrapped her arms around her vice-president tightly. The pair stayed in that position for a good while. Other students were watching and some with sniggering, but Monika didn't care. The only thing on her mind was her crumbling friend. Even Fumi had seen enough and had long since walked away, but Monika held Sayori even tighter and started stroking her hair. "It's okay my dear...it's okay..."

...

...

...

"Here: I got you some meat buns...it's on me." Monika smiled warmly as she handed two packaged meant buns she got from the snack store over to Sayori, who had calmed down quite a bit, but was still a snivelling mess.

"N-No thanks Monika...y-you can have them..." Sayori pushed the buns back to Monika.

"Sayori...you know I'm vegan, right?" Monika asked with a slight laugh, which seemed to cheer Sayori up ever so slightly.

"Ehehe...well, I guess I have to eat it then..." Sayori then began to unwrap one of the meat buns and munched down on it. After watching her friend chew on her bun for a few seconds, Monika finally decided to talk.

"So...do you want to talk about what happened?" Monika asked gently as Sayori slowly chewed on her bun. The girl tried to force out a weak smile, but all she could muster was more tears.

"...ah...sniff...I-I..." Sayori struggled to get her words out, but Monika smiled patiently. "It's okay Sayori...you don't have to force yourself..." The club president gently placed her hand on Sayori's.

"...Ehehe...well, I kinda forget to follow Mio to her grandparent's house today...I got kinda caught up in..." Sayori stopped and looked away sadly. "...a-anyway...something bad happened...a-and I wasn't th-there f-for h-her...sniff...I'm such a terrible friend!"

"Sayori, don't say that!" Monika gripped Sayori's hand tighter.

"But it's true!" Sayori cried. "I ditched her when she needed me most! How could I do that to her?!" Tears were starting to pour out once again. Monika looked worriedly at her friend. She had never seen her this distraught before. It was as if each subsequent crying session got sadder and sadder, and this one was the saddest. Monika could only look on helpless as Sayori sobbed uncontrollably.

"Sayori..." Monika rubbed her hand on the weeping girl's back. "It's not your fault...I know you've been dealing with some...problems...lately...I'm sure Mio understands that..."

"No she doesn't! She doesn't know about my problems! No one does!" Sayori angrily pushed Monika's hand away.

"Sayori-"

"And that's because I'm so selfish I refuse to share my shit with anyone! I don't deserve anything!" Sayori ranted. "I don't tell people what I'm dealing with, yet I expect them to know that I'm dealing with things in the first place! I'm just so...SELFISH!"

"Sayori, you are NOT selfish." Monika said in a serious tone, causing Sayori to pause her crying. "You are an amazing and thoughtful person and if anything, Mio should be happy that you even agreed to help her! I know I would..."

"..." Sayori said nothing.

"I know we never talked much in the past, but believe me when I say; I missed out on so much. I've never gotten this close with anyone before...and I have to say...I never regretted any second of it." Monika turned to face Sayori, who had stopped her crying completely. "Sayori...I...you..." Sayori raised an eyebrow.

"You are...thank you for being my friend Sayori..." Monika suddenly threw herself into Sayori and hugged her tightly. Sayori took a few seconds, but she eventually returned the hug.

"B-But...Fumi and Kisami...th-they are so much more popular than me...s-surely you would look better hanging out with them-"

"Screw them!" Monika said, still hugging her vice-president. "They could only hope to be as wonderful as you are Sayo..."

Monika eventually released Sayori, who was now blushing deeply. "Ehehe...th-thanks Monika..." the bubbly girl said gratefully.

"She'll forgive you, I promise. She's just having a bad moment, but it will pass, okay? Just give her some time and you two will be fine." Monika assured.

"Erm...Monika?" Sayori asked.

"Yeah?"

"Can you promise not to tell Anon about this..?" Monika looked sadly into her vice-president's eyes. They were still glistening with tears, but something about them seemed fresh, as if she was trying to start anew.

Monika placed her hand on Sayori's once more.

"My lips are sealed, Sayo." Monika reassured, earning a slight smile. "I won't tell the girls either..."

"O-Oh..." Sayori blushed. "O-Okay Monika...w-well...I-I better get going...I don't want to get scolded again..." Sayori said as she slowly stood up.

"I guess so...see you later Sayori!" Monika smiled.

"Bye Monika!" Sayori smiled widely, while Monika watched as she trotted away.

-bzzt-

Monika felt her phone vibrate. It was a text from Natsuki.

"_I SAW WHAT HAPPENED. IS SHE OKAY?"_

"Shit. Looks like one managed to figure it out."

"_Thankfully, yes."_

"_WHAT HAPPENED?"_

"_It's kind of personal to Sayori and Mio, so..."_

"_NVM IT'S FINE. I JUST HOPE SHE FEELS BETTER."_

"_Yeah, same. Anyways, gotta go. TTYL?"_

"_YEP. BYE."_

Monika sighed as she got up from the canteen bench. Very little students were left as most had gone to class, leaving Monika with the cleaning ladies and the vendors who were now prepping for lunch.

"I sure hope she feels better..." Monika said to herself before finally leaving the cafeteria and heading to class. As much as she wanted to believe that Sayori could indeed feel better, she knew deep down that something was still off.

It wasn't a Sayori-like smile.

...

"Ahhhhh...thank God we're finally done..."

"Yep. Weekend time baby!"

After a painstakingly long final period, the school bell finally rang, releasing students from their prison cells. Anon and Hitoshi were the first ones out of their classes and Anon decided to grab a quick lunch just before going to the club.

"So how's your club?" Hitoshi asked as the two boys ate their lunch. "Is it any fun?"

"You'd be surprised." Anon said as he chewed on his rice. "It's actually kind of enlightening. I never knew poetry could be this...how do I put it...interesting? Like I've only been there for three days but already I've gotten to know each club member so well through their poems. And yeah, it is fun reading everyone's different poems and seeing-"

"Okay, I'm just gonna stop you there: You're actually taking your club seriously? If I were you, I'd just go there to hang out with Monika!" Hitoshi grinned.

"...sigh...You know what, to each their own." Anon rolled his eyes.

"How the hell did she let you join anyway? Don't you remember what happened last week?"

"I should have fucking killed you for that, you dickhead! Oddly enough, I don't think she remembered it at all, so suck it."

"Fucking stupid Literature Club...why couldn't she have joined Floorball? Floorball is fun!" Hitoshi angrily slurped down his noodles.

"Yeah? Then why do I see you on the bench every time?" Anon raised an eyebrow and Hitoshi's face went red. "I-I...f-fuck you dude! I was just...letting other players have a chance!"

"Mhm. I definitely believe you. Anyway, I gotta go: Club starts in like ten minutes." Anon said as he got up.

"Alright man, see you on Monday!" Hitoshi waved.

Before long, Anon arrived at the clubroom. Sayori, Natsuki and Yuri were already there, but once again, there was a lack of the club-president. Perhaps learning piano was way harder than he already thought.

"Aww man! I'm the last one here again!" Anon heard a voice as he walked in. It turns out Monika wasn't that late, as she rushed in behind him.

"Don't worry, I just walked in too." Anon smiled to reassure the panicking girl. Monika responded with a sweet smile, making Anon's heart jump. But his heart started beating even faster when he saw who was walking over.

"Is it your piano again?" Natsuki asked, her hands on her hips.

"Yeah...ahaha!" Monika laughed nervously.

"Well, at least you were earlier today. Anyway, what are we doing today? More festival planning?" Natsuki asked with a surprising amount of enthusiasm that seemed to catch Anon and Monika off guard.

"You sound excited." Anon said to Natsuki, who started blushing. "I thought yesterday you hated it."

"Well, I went home and thought for a good long while, and I figured: Eh. If Maple and Mabel come, it wouldn't be as embarrassing and Monika IS a popular girl, so...we at least have that."

"I'll take that as a compliment, thank you Natsuki." Monika rolled her eyes.

"But then I thought some more and then I realised: There's gonna be a lot of free food, and I mean a LOT. Popcorn three years in a row can't go wrong, I heard that they're adding ice-pops now; thank God, and of course, Monika's favourite: Fried Squid!"

"Fried Squid? Me?" Monika looked confused.

"What?! You don't like fried squid? And of all people too!" Natsuki crossed her arms.

"What-no. I never said I didn't like it-and what do you mean me of all people?" Monika squinted even further.

"Because! It's right in your name: Mon-ika!" Natsuki grinned proudly at her joke. Anon meanwhile, face palmed. "I see someone's starting to take Jap more seriously..." the boy joked, earning a light jab from the pink-haired girl.

"Eh?!" Monika frowned. "That's not how you say my name at all!"

"Hehehe!" Natsuki squealed. "Oh, lighten up: I was only teasing..."

"I know, I know, can we just...get back to the topic at hand please?" Monika begged.

"Fine, fine." Natsuki relented. "Your reactions aren't as funny as Yuri's or Sayori's anyways." Natsuki glanced back to the shy bookworm, who had a hurtful expression on her face. Natsuki's stomach immediately knotted up as she watched the insulted girl return to her book.

"Where is Sayori, anyway..?" Anon whirled around to find Sayori at a desk at the far end of the clubroom, staring at and doing nothing. The boy swore he heard Monika mutter "Oh no..." silently, but thought nothing of it and walked up to his friend.

"Hey, Sayori." Anon greeted, waving his hand in front of Sayori's face, snapping her out of her trance. "EH-?" The girl replied in complete shock. "You're spacing out again." Anon said, slightly bemused.

"A-Ah...Ehehe...sorry..." Sayori laughed nervously. Anon wasn't sure what it was, but something seemed...off... "Don't mind me. You can go talk to everyone else." Sayori looked away, her face slightly red.

Anon's heart skipped a beat when he heard this.

"H-Huh?" Sweat started beading down his forehead. "Is everything alright?"

"O-Of course! Why wouldn't it be?" Sayori looked almost...hurt? What is going on right now?

"It just feels like you're a little off..." Anon responded, trying to play it as casually as possible. "Sorry for assuming things." An apology would help ease things, right?

"Jeez, you worry too much about me...I'm fine, see." Sayori shoots Anon with a big smile, which seemed to work. "Don't let me distract you from having fun with everyone."

"Well, alright..." Anon awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "If...if you say so..." Anon worriedly glanced at Sayori before turning back toward everyone else, but the conversation had already dispersed; not that everyone was involved in it anyways. Anon looked worriedly at Yuri as well. She seemed to be deeper into her book than ever before. The boy really wanted to get to know her better, but for some reason, Yuri didn't seem to keen on talking to him. She seemed even shyer than when they first met, which was saying something. Also, it didn't help that the book she gave him was still sitting in his bag, probably bent and folded to shit by now.

Anon looked away awkwardly just as Yuri glanced over in his direction. Instead, he focused his attention to Monika. The two seemed to be getting closer and friends over the past few days.

"Maybe she knows something..."Anon thought before walking over to the club president, who seemed to be busy shuffling through some papers. "Hey Monika..." Anon greeted awkwardly.

"Anon! What's up?" The club president smiled sweetly. Anon once again felt butterflies in his stomach, but tried his best to play it cool. "Hey, this might sound a little strange, but...have you noticed anything up with Sayori recently?"

Monika bit her lip.

"Can you promise not to tell the other club members about this..?" Sayori's innocent voice echoed inside her head. Should she lie? She couldn't, could she?

Monika looked at Anon nervously. He had an expectant look on his face, and Monika felt truly awful that she was about to lie about Sayori to her best friend.

A few seconds passed.

"S-surely...surely if they're best friends...she would tell him, right..? I-I should probably let her tell him on her own whenever she's ready..."

Monika faced Anon.

"A-Anything up with her..? In what way do you mean?" Monika tried her best to sound as clueless as possible. Miraculously, Anon seemed to believe her.

"Maybe I'm reading into it a little too much, but she seems a bit downcast today..." Anon shrugged.

"Oh? You think so? I can't say I've noticed anything about her..." Monika faked a glance over at Sayori. Sure enough, Sayori looked more miserable than ever; idly dragging a rubber eraser up and down her desk. "Maybe there's something on her mind?" Monika lied through her teeth, but then an idea randomly popped up in her head.

She glanced back at the apathetic girl.

"Hmm...Maybe I can do them BOTH a favour..." Monika thought.

The popular girl turned back to face her club member.

"Maybe...maybe I'll try talking to her myself."

"Eh? Are you sure about that?" Anon asked. "She seemed like she wanted to be left alone..."

"Are you sure? Maybe she just has a hard time bringing it up with the person of interest..." Monika raised her right eyebrow, but no such luck.

"Person of interest?" Anon asked, clearly not following. "What do you mean by that?" As Anon looked on in confusion, Monika rolled her eyes internally.

"...I'm saying that maybe the thing on her mind is...you, Anon!"

Anon's face flushed.

"M-Me?! H-How on Earth would you come to that conclusion?"

"Well, I probably shouldn't say much, but...Sayori talks about you more than anything else, you know?"

"Eh?" Anon blushed even further.

"She's been so much happier ever since you've joined the club. It was like an extra light was turned on inside of her."

"What?" Anon frowned. "No way...Sayori...is always like that..." Anon smiled slightly. Monika could tell it was a smile of recollection: That kind of smile where you just smile at nothing. "She's always been full of sunshine. It's not any different now than it always has been..."

"Anon...Have you ever stopped to think that...maybe you've always seen her as so cheerful..." Monika paused herself. Anon's face was overflowing with curiosity. There's no way she could stop now.

"...because that's just how she is around you?"

Anon's mouth opened slightly.

"Ah..." Monika started sweating. "I-I said too much...I'm sorry...what do I know anyway? A-Anyway, I-I'll go talk to her, so...don't beat yourself up over it, okay?" Monika tried her best to smile, but Anon just shuffled awkwardly.

"Ah...a-alright..."

And with that, Monika left the boy to himself and walked over to Sayori.

"I wonder what they could be talking about..." The boy thought as he watched Monika kneel down by Sayori's desk. However, before he could hear a single word, his ears were instead filled by a completely different person.

"Hey you."

"Eh?" Anon spun around to see Natsuki. He had no idea she had walked up to him while he was staring blankly at-

"Are you just gonna keep standing there and staring blankly at nothing?"

-At nothing, apparently...

"There isn't that much time so..."

"Ah-sorry..." Anon hastily apologised. "I didn't mean to make you worry or anything..." Natsuki immediately looked away and started sweating.

"I-It's not like I'm worried! I was just..." Natsuki glanced down at her side. Sure enough, there was a volume of Manga in her grasp.

"I know, I know..." Anon smiled, hoping it would calm Natsuki's nerves. Surprisingly, it seemed to do the trick as Natsuki's body loosened up slightly. "I've just been thinking about Sayori, that's all."

"S-SAYORI?! TH-THINKING ABOUT HER?!"

Anon jumped slightly.

"Y-Yeah...sh-she seemed kinda down today...but she didn't want to admit it to me, so I can't help but wonder if something happened to her."

Natsuki looked away, which seemed to scare Anon slightly. How come he was the only one who didn't know what was going on?

"W-Well..." Natsuki stuttered. "Well first of all...you should really work on your phrasing! B-But anyway..." Natsuki turned to look at Sayori. "Anyway...you're her best friend, right?"

"Of course." Anon nodded seriously.

"Yeah. Then I think you should trust her a little more. If something did happen..." Natsuki paused for a moment. "..."

"Natsuki?" Anon asked gently.

"SHH-JUST GIVE ME SOME TIME TO THINK, DAMMIT!" Natsuki snapped.

"Okay, okay!" Anon held up his hands defensively.

"JEEZ!" Natsuki returned to her train of thought. "Yeah, so as I was saying, if she really needs you to worry about her...it'll be a lot more obvious, right?"

"...Yeah I guess so..." Anon finally relented and his shoulders slumped slightly.

"Hey-Don't worry so much, alright? I..." Natsuki glanced back at her vice-president one last time. "...I'm sure she'll be fine."

Anon smiled a small smile.

"Thank you, Natsuki."

Natsuki's face immediately turned beet red. "W-Why are you thanking me?! It's not like I'm worried or anything-"

"Didn't you say that five minutes ago?" Anon smirked.

"UUU-YOU ARE SO-FORGET IT!" Natsuki seethed, almost crumpling her manga from grabbing it too tightly. "LET'S READ SOME DAMN MANGA!"

...

...

...

"Yep, I knew it! It really is your best poem yet!"

"Huh. When I first shared with you, those were words I never thought I hear you say." Anon chuckled after hearing Natsuki's compliment.

"Hmph." Natsuki folded her arms and looks off to the side. "I was just putting you in your place-I knew you were always gonna be this cocky."

"Sure you were...You know, it really IS okay be shy when it's your first time sharing your personal things with others, you know?"

"ME?! SHY?! Hah! What a funny joke: Me being shy! I was NOT shy or anything stupid like that!"

Anon tried his best to contain his smile.

"AND I DEFINITELY WASN'T JEALOUS. Just because you happened to be a good writer? That's such a dumb thing to get jealous about! Ahaha!"

"Natsuki..." Anon asked politely.

"What?" The girl snapped back. To her surprise, he didn't even flinch at her raising her voice. Instead, he calmly smiled again and asked his next question. "You're not very confident about your writing, are you?" Upon hearing Anon's question, Natsuki's face turned red and she looked away once more. Anon immediately regretted asking that question, but before he could apologise, Natsuki interrupted him.

"B-But-!" Natsuki started. Anon simply stood there and waited patiently. "...m...m-my writing is obviously the best...right?" Natsuki asked inaudibly and with a sheer lack of confidence. Anon took one look at her and his face immediately fell. Seeing her this...unconfident and insecure...it really-

"Natsuki..." Anon moved his hand towards Natsuki's shoulder, but ultimately decided that comforting a downcast girl wasn't worth getting beaten to death. Instead, he lowered his hand back to his side.

"Right?" Natsuki asked, this time slightly louder and more desperate. "P-Please just tell me you like my poems. I just...I just really need to hear that from someone..." Natsuki glanced over at Yuri as she finished the last of her sentence. By now, Anon really wanted to comfort her, but he just didn't know how.

"There's a reason why I never shared my poems before the club started...None of them knew I actually wrote many poems before I even heard about starting a club...and that's because..." Natsuki trailed off, her body starting to tremble. "...B-Because..." Her words were getting shaky. "Because nobody ever takes me seriously!" She finally let's it out and hangs her head low.

Anon looked on worriedly. "How the hell am I supposed to approach this...I don't want her screaming at me for like the eighth time this week...God I was always shit with girls, but I didn't expect to be THIS bad..."

"My friends Mabel and Maple...what's the point in sharing with them if all they're gonna say is "OMG this is SOOO CUTE, just like you, Natsuki!" Maybe I don't want to be cute! Maybe I want to be serious and mysterious! Maybe I want to be a mature young woman who understands things on a high level! But no one understands that!"

"You really showed them your early poems?" Anon tried his best to sound as gentle as possible so as to not irk the already irked baker.

Natsuki nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. "They were the only ones before you guys...they...they..."

"Hey, it's okay. You don't have to tell me if you aren't comfortable..." Anon reassured the sniffling girl.

"Yeah, but you get it, right?" Natsuki asked, and Anon nodded. "I thought I could move past that; I really could, so when Yuri said those things that day...it...hurt...It really hurt!" The pink-haired girl's voice squeaked. "I try really hard when I write! Why can no one fucking see that?!" By now, Natsuki's tears were just about ready to burst through her eyelids. "Why...why can no one see that..? I just want..." Natsuki trailed off as her lips started to quiver. As Anon looked down, he could see that Natsuki's fists were clenched tightly and both poems were starting to crumble.

"Erm...N-Natsuki...the poems are...yeah..."

Natsuki handed Anon back his poem while avoiding eye contact. The boy placed his poem on a nearby desk and carefully smoothened it out. "Thanks. Now, are we ready to read this master craft of yours?"

"N-NO!" Natsuki snapped, shielding her poem from Anon's grasp with her entire body. "It's not any good...And I know you hate my poems, so you don't have to read it!"

"Natsuki...

"Natsuki, I...sigh...Look; I know you see me as this moronic idiot who doesn't understand shit, and to the most part, you're right. I really don't understand anything other than video games. But I do understand one thing: You are a fantastic writer. Your writing may be simple, sure, but it captures emotions as good as any five syllable word. Just because your style isn't conventional doesn't mean it doesn't have merits. And I see that; I really do, and I'm sure the rest of the club does too! I know you and Yuri have had your differences...and Sayori can be a little...you know: too happy...but they both mean well! They may take a little more time before they come around, but they will, I promise. And even if they don't, who cares? Like Monika said; writing poems is to oneself. If you enjoy it, then that's awesome and if others don't see your poems who what they really are, then screw them!" Anon let out a deep sigh after finishing off his rant. Taking a second to compose himself, he looked back at Natsuki. Her expression had loosened and she was no longer avoiding eye contact. She looked at Anon with a guilty expression on her face. "I'm sorry for rambling, but I just needed tell you all of this...Your style, your poems; they're as deserving of merit as any other poem. You aren't just cute, you're more than that-Ah-Natsuki, you're doing it again..." Anon sighed as Natsuki turned away once more, clutching her poem tightly as she does it.

"You can read it."

"Huh?" Anon was completely taken aback by Natsuki's statement.

"I said you can READ IT, OKAY?!"

"Okay...I will."

...

"A-Ah...I-is there anything else you would like to add?"

"No, not really...it's a really good poem Yuri...better than mine for sure."

"A-Ah...I-I see..."

Yuri may not have been confident in her writing, but even she was surprised by Sayori's lack thereof for hers. Despite wanting to ask Sayori what was wrong, Yuri ultimately decided against it and slumped away dejectedly.

"...sigh..." Sayori sighed heavily. How long are club meetings again? Surely not five hours, right? Sayori looked around the clubroom. Anon had just finished sharing with Monika and was left with her. Of course she would be left for last, wouldn't she?

Sayori winced as she trudged over to her friend, poem in hand. One more to go before she can finally be rid of this entire club meeting. The boy greeted her with a smile, which she tried with all the strength in her body to reciprocate, but all she could manage was a mere lip lift. Even her eyes were tired at this point.

Sayori took one look at Anon's poem and her mind instantly switched off. Her eyes scanned over the words, but none of it went it. Her brain had already boarded its doors and windows.

"It's nice I guess..." Sayori said monotonously as she looked up from Anon's poem. Unfortunately, the boy seemed to have picked up on her despondent tone and was starting to look concerned.

"Come on...I already know you don't like it." Anon looked sad, disappointed even.

"Well..." Sayori tried her best to hold back her tears. "...You don't need to worry about what I think...After all...you wrote this for someone else, didn't you? Probably Natsuki..."

"For fu-sigh...Sayori, I didn't write this for anyone specifically. I was just making use of-"

"Maybe..." Sayori interrupted to frustrated boy. "That's not what I really meant though, but it's okay: You're making new friends, just like I was hoping. That makes me...really happy! And you're happy too right? In the club?"

"Well, yes, but-"

"Good! That's all that matters to me. Thank you Anon..."

The boy felt a chill down his spine after Sayori thanked him, but he had no idea why. He just had a sinking feeling that something wasn't right about the way Sayori thanked him.

"Sayori." Anon firmly grabbed Sayori's wrist and pulled it closer to him.

"W-WAH!" The girl yelped.

"Look at me. Is something wrong? You can tell me, Sayori."

Sayori's brief look of surprise was once again washed over by one of apathy and gloom. "No, nothing..." The girl looked away. "I'm just a little tired today...ehehe..."

"I told you, you should have-" Anon winced and quickly bit his lip. He almost said something horrible slapped himself internally for even thinking about saying it. "...What I was actually about to say was..."

"That I should go home and rest, right? I was thinking that too: Tell Monika I wasn't feeling well, kay?"

"Goddammit, no-that's not what I-"

"I'll see you tomorrow!"

Before Anon could even react, Sayori gleefully danced out of the clubroom, playfully humming to herself. It was a scene that made Anon sweat more than anything. A part of him desperately wanted to chase after the girl, but then again, it was clear that she'd rather be left alone.

"Sayori..." Anon sighed while looking at the clubroom door closely close. What is going on with that girl?

"Okay you three!"

Anon nearly jumped out of his skin. "Jesus Christ what the fuck...that scared me..." Anon shook his head vigorously as he watched Natsuki walk over to Monika, while Yuri, who was Monika's last sharing partner, simply placed her poem back into her binder. Still lingering over his childhood friend, Anon tried his best to focus and walked over as well.

"Was it just me or did you say something weird?" Natsuki asked as the group started to gather.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Monika put her left hand on her hip, while Yuri and Anon looked on as well.

"Yeah. You deviated from your catchphrase."

"Catchphrase?" Monika smiled nervously. "I don't have a catchphrase..."

"Jeez. What's with the atmosphere these few days...?" Natsuki grumpily crossed her arms. "And where's Sayori anyway? Did she like, leave or something? At a crucial moment like this? Ugh-I just can't even with her sometimes..." Natsuki continued complaining.

"Yeah she-" Monika seemed to choke on her words, but quickly regained her composure. "She's not here...she went home, I think?"

"Yep. She told me she wasn't feeling well and asked me to relay that to you." Anon added.

"I hope she's okay..." Yuri said sadly. However, she quickly retreated back under her hair after seeing Anon's gracious smile.

"Don't worry, Yuri. I talked to her just now and she's fine." Monika calmly stated. "Anyway, let's gets back to the task at hand. The festival is on Monday like you guys know, so I'd like to talk about what everyone's gonna be doing to prepare for it."

"I already know what I'M gonna be doing!" Natsuki proclaimed proudly.

"Making cupcakes?" Anon smiled, causing both him and Natsuki to blush.

"That's right!" The baker grinned. "The best cupcakes west of the Mississippi!"

"Um..." Anon looked slightly lost, but was swiftly informed by an eye-rolling Natsuki. "It's just a saying dummy."

"As for me," Monika continued. "I'm going to be printing and assembling all of the poetry pamphlets. Sayori will be helping me design them. And as for Yuri..." All three sets of eyes moved over to the shy girl. "...Erm...Yuri you can...ah...um..." Now, the three sets of eyes moved over to Monika, who seemed to be struggling to speak.

"Guys?" Monika asked innocently while leaning over in her iconic pose. "Can you help me come up with something for Yuri?"

"I...I'm useless..." Yuri muttered dejectedly, her head hanging low. Natsuki immediately face-palmed while Monika tried her best to correct herself.

"N-No! That's not it at all! You're the most talented person here, you know?"

"Wow. You really know how to make some feel warm and fuzzy with your perfect word choice, huh?" Natsuki pouted, crossing her arms angrily.

"Wh-what did I say?" Monika asked, this time with more despair in her voice.

"Yikes; even I can tell now...I guess I never gave Sayori enough credit, but I can tell things are even harder on you when she's not around."

"Ah...that may be the case...but if I have to rely on Sayori to save me in these situations, then I won't be able to grow as a leader and even as a person, so!" Monika turned to face Yuri with noticeably more confidence. "Yuri!" The timid girl looked up from her pity party. "You have beautiful handwriting, you know? So you should make banners and decorations to help set the atmosphere!"

"Uuu..." Yuri thought to herself in silence and Anon had the feeling that she still wasn't over the fact that Monika thought so little of her contributions to the club. "I-I suppose I wouldn't mind making some banners..."

"That's great! Thank you Yuri!" Monika smiled sweetly, but Yuri simply returned to looking away from everyone else. Monika returned her gaze to Anon and mouthed the words "Thank you for the save.", to which Anon smiled and nodded. "Now, that just leaves Anon." Monika continued.

"The one who is truly useless." Anon joked, trying to cheer Yuri up, but to no avail. However, only Monika and Natsuki seemed to get a laugh out of it.

"Good that you're aware!" Natsuki smirked.

"Ahaha! Don't say that, Anon! Both Natsuki and Yuri have pretty heavy tasks to complete over a two day period. It would probably go a long way to give one of them a hand. I'll be fine since Sayori's helping me, but maybe you could...you know?"

Anon gulped loudly. Girls were always his kryptonite, but up until now, the only girl he had ever hung out with outside of school was Sayori. His mind started to race, but before he could even process what he had just heard, Natsuki interrupted him.

"Hey-Don't worry about it! Even if you don't know how to bake, there's always some dirty work I could give you. It's not like Moni's giving me a choice, and you shouldn't be sitting on your butt anyway..." Natsuki tried to fumble in some excuses, but Anon already knew she really wanted to work with him.

And he wanted to work with her, it was just...How could he do so in a way that would make the other party not feel left out?

"U-Um..." Anon struggled to come up with a sentence, but thankfully, it wasn't like Yuri had any reason to be working with him anyway. In fact, the minute Monika tasked him to pick one of the two to work with, he swore he could see her look at Natsuki with a sad smile.

It was as if she already knew she wasn't getting picked.

"...sigh...I-I guess I wouldn't mind that, yeah." Anon replied, and to his relief, Natsuki's expression seemed to brighten. "Y-you guys made it sound like a ton of work, so it'll probably require two people to bake top quality cupcakes for the festival..."

"Hehehe! You'll love it, I promise! Baking is loads of fun!" The excited girl grinned from ear to ear.

"Is that so?" Monika smirked. "Didn't you just say that-"

"W-WELL YEAH!" Natsuki grew slightly flustered. "TH-THAT'S BECAUSE...n-never mind..."

"Well, anyways, will you be fine on your own, Yuri?" Monika faced her remaining club member, who looked like she was extremely ready to leave.

"Y-yeah..." Yuri muttered sadly. "I-I'm used to it anyway..."

Anon and Monika exchanged worried glances, but Natsuki seemed overjoyed at the outcome. "So, that's everything, right? Anything else we need to go over?"

"Nope, that should be it! Is everyone excited?" Monika asked, trying to lift the mood.

"Hell yeah!" Natsuki cheered. This was the first time anyone had seen her so ecstatic about anything related to the club. "Everything except out performance is going to be awesome!" Never mind...

"Heh heh...I don't think that really counts, but whatever. Me personally, I guess I am interested to see how it would turn out." Anon shrugged.

"Hey, that's good enough for me! What about you, Yuri?" Monika asked Yuri, who was still-

"She's still sulking." Natsuki said rather harshly. However, she quickly evolved a look of guilt after seeing Yuri's hurt expression. "I-I mean...it-it's not-"

"It's okay, Natsuki." Anon calmly assured her. "I think Yuri's just feeling a little underappreciated, is all. I mean, having to come up with something for her and then nobody offering to help...Anyone would be feeling this way...I know I would."

"What? You were literally the only one who had help they were able to offer! Don't drag me down with you!" Natsuki whispered harshly to Anon. "But hey." Natsuki put her arms on Yuri's shoulders, surprising not only her, but the rest of the club. "You need to start being more confident with yourself, okay Yuri? You really are the most talented person here, you know that, right? And you will be the most valuable contributor to making our club grow! My cupcakes? Pfft-they only help people who were too lazy to queue at the food stalls! But your banners and decorations are the ones that will attract everyone! Everyone will be drawn in by your beautiful handwriting and your impeccable arts and crafts skills, you hear me? You're gonna make this event great!"

Natsuki finished her long inspirational speech with a proud huff, leaving Yuri completely stunned. That almost sounded like something Sayori would tell Yuri if she were still here.

"N-Natsuki I..." Yuri opened her mouth, but no words seemed to come out. Instead, she looked off to the side, her cheeks burning up. "I-I have to go!"

"What?!"

Without warning, Yuri grabbed her bag and bolted out of the clubroom, leaving the remaining three members standing there, completely dumbfounded.

"What did I say this time?! Monika, you heard me right? I was being nice this time!" Natsuki quickly defended herself.

"Yes, I know Natsuki, and I'm proud of you, okay? I think this whole week has been extremely stressful for Yuri and, well... you know how it is when it comes to Yuri handling stress."

"Jeez...That's the second person that's left early today." Natsuki noted, while Anon shrugged sadly.

"Welp, then I better not keep you two any longer. I guess it's time to head out!" Monika declared.

"Yeah. Let's get out of here!" Natsuki joined in as she began packing her bag, with Anon following suit.

"Hey." Monika faced Anon as they packed their bags. "Can I talk to you real quick?"

"Yeah, sure." Anon nodded, setting his bag aside and sitting in front of Monika at a random desk. "So what's up?"

Look, I can tell you're a little...on edge...today...erm...a-are you okay?" Monika asked with a concerned expression. Something about the most popular girl from his batch being this nice to him gave Anon chills, but he did his best to compose himself. "I-I don't know Monika...it-it's just...I've known Sayori all this while and, yeah, she's had her sad days, but nothing ever like this! I-I'm just..."

"Anon..." Monika placed her hand on Anon's causing his heart to jump and his heart to race. "..Sayori's fine, I promise. I'll go be talking to her on Discord over the weekend, and I'll help you check on her, okay?"

"Monika, you don't have to do that...I'm her best friend, so I should be the one who checks on her...besides, we already live so close together...I might as well-"

"No, no, it's really okay...I don't want to put a burden on you since you already need to help Natsuki with her baking, and besides, I kinda owe you for that save just now. I really appreciate it."

"Oh, that? Nah, that was nothing...I was just...looking out for my club president, you know?" Anon smiled awkwardly.

"But still...I should probably go and talk to Sayori, anyway...I'm the club president, like you said, and it's my responsibility to look out for my club members..." Monika trailed off as she saw Natsuki finish packing her things and glancing in their general direction. "...A-Anyway, I don't want to hold you back, s-so...you should probably get going. I'll stay here for a while longer and get some stuff ready for the preparations."

"Well, alright then. Thanks for the talk." Anon tried to give a cool smile, which Monika seemed to like as she smiled sweetly. "It was my pleasure, Anon. I'll see you on Monday!"

"See you!" Anon waved as Natsuki bounced up to him.

"Hey. Are you ready to go, or..? N-Not that I was waiting for you or anything!"

Monika laughed at Natsuki's flustered face as she and Anon left the clubroom. Once they had left, Monika quickly pulled out her phone and scrolled through her contacts, eventually landing on her vice-president's name. Her thumb hovered over the "call" button for a few seconds.

"Sh-should I...?" Monika debated. "Nah." She eventually decided and slipped her phone back into her pocket. "I should probably give her some space and let her rest...I don't think she needs a call right now..."

Monika got up and slid her bag over her shoulder. With a deep breath, she stared out the window.

"The festival's gonna be great. I-I know it...it has to..."

...

"I'll message you later, alright? Don't forget to reply me or I'll kick your ass on Sunday!"

"You got it, princess, jeez...alright, I'll see you. Bye."

"Bye. Ugh. Can't believe I forgot my water bottle."

It was approaching four-thirty and while the school was close to anywhere by closing for the day, Natsuki decided it was best to head home and get dinner.

"Hey Natsuki. Why're you back here?" Monika looked up from her notes as Natsuki entered the clubroom.

"Forgot my stupid water bottle. Ugh-and of course it's frikin' empty too. Oh well, see ya!"

"Bye Natsuki!"

Within a few minutes, Natsuki was by one of the level four water-coolers and had started to fill up her bottle. "Come on! These things take frikin' forever! I swear to God if I see rust coming out of-"

"...sob...sob..."

"...it..."

Natsuki turned off the tap and closed the lid of her bottle. Was that...crying...she just heard?

Natsuki held her breath and strained her ears.

"...sniff...sob...sob..."

"Holy shit...holy shit, s-someone's crying in there!" Natsuki said to herself. "O-Oh God!" As quick as she could manage, Natsuki burst into the girl's toilet to find a rather familiar face greeting her, sprawled out on the floor, her head facing the ground and hair covering her entire upper body. And on the topic of her body...

"YURI! HOLY SHIT! W-WHAT HAPPENED! WHY IS YOUR BODY COMPELTELY DRENCHED?!" Natsuki screamed as she rushed over to Yuri's side.

"A-AH! N-NATSUKI!" The soaked girl struggled to haul herself up and she seemed to be-trying to hide something? Natsuki wasn't sure, but Yuri seemed like she wanted to hide her arms, as she constantly pulled her sleeves down and faced away from her.

"YURI! A-ARE YOU OKAY?! OH-OH MY GOD...W-WHAT DO I DO...THINK NATSUKI, THINK! O-OKAY...Okay...okay Yuri, l-let's get you dried up, okay? Come on." Natsuki rushed over to one of the toilet paper racks and yanked the whole cover off, pulling out the entire roll. "Here. Dry yourself off with these. The cleaning lady gets like five rolls a day, so I'm sure she won't mind you using one up."

"W-Why?" Yuri asked, her back facing the frantic girl and her right arm clutching heavily on her left.

"W-What?"

"W-why are you doing this to m-me?"

"Yuri, what the heck are you talking about?! You'll catch a damn cold if you stay this soaking wet, come on!"

"W-why do you care?!" Yuri shouted, startling the petite girl. "Why do you care so much?! I know you hate me, so just leave me alone!"

"Yuri, I-"

"Just go!" Yuri bawled, as tears started free flowing down her cheeks. "Please...just go..."

"No." Natsuki stood her ground.

"Natsuki-"

"LISTEN TO ME. I am NOT leaving here until you tell me what the hell is going on with you! And who the hell did this to you! I know you're not stupid enough to fall face first into the toilet bowl and I know the taps are all functioning properly so you didn't spray yourself on accident! So tell me: WHO. THE. FUCK. DID. THIS. TO. YOU...NOW!"

Yuri shivered, her hair still covering her face, but after a few seconds, she slowly but surely turned to face Natsuki. A look of horror was burned into her eyes.

"Th-th-th..."

"Who? Come on Yuri, spit it out!" Natsuki demanded impatiently.

"Why do you care?!" Yuri wailed, her cheeks now completely soaked with both toilet water and now her tears.

"We'll talk about that later! For now, just tell me which sick bastard did this! Is it Kei? Goro?"

"N-No..."

"Is it Dean?"

"N-NO!"

"THEN WHO?! WHO IS IT?!"

Yuri looked down, completely ashamed. Her face was completely red and her hair was a complete mess. Droplets of water dripped off the ends of her uniform and the bottom of her skirt.

"Th-th..." Yuri finally opened her mouth. "Th-they're gonna kill me..." The poor girl whispered as softly as the water droplets dripping onto the toilet floor.

"They?! What do you mean they?! You mean there were TWO of them?!" Natsuki's eyes were wide in shock, but they were quickly drawn to something lying about on the floor. "The hell?"

Natsuki squatted down to get a closer look. There, lying innocently on the damp, tiled toilet floor, were a few strands of hair. The colour meant that they certainly weren't Yuri's, which meant she probably fought back pretty hard.

But more than that...

"Stay here, okay?" Natsuki ordered. Yuri quietly complied, grabbing the toilet paper to dry herself off.

As carefully as possible, Natsuki held the strands of hair in her left hand and pushed open the toilet door. She turned her head to the left.

No one down that corridor.

She turned her head to her right.

"I knew it..." She said to herself, her tone oozing with venom

There, out of a nearby classroom, walked out Fumi and Kisami. Fumi seemed to be playing with her hair, while Kisami looked like she couldn't really be bothered.

"I got you, you psycho freak." Natsuki scowled as she clenched her fist tighter, squeezing the ever lasting breath out of the few strands of long

Red

Hair.

...

"Hey Mom! I'm home!"

"Welcome home, sweetie, how was school?"

"Eh. Okay, I guess. Club time was infinitely better, though."

"I'm glad to hear that."

After an exhausting walk home, Anon finally stepped into his abode and took off his blazer and dropped his bag onto the floor with a dull thud. "Hey Mom, speaking of club, did you see Sayori come home on your way back?"

"No, I didn't. Why?" Lisa answered from the kitchen.

"No, just...wondering...she left early today cause' she wasn't feeling well."

"Oh my goodness. I hope she's feeling okay...and goodness me, would it have been too much to ask for you to walk her home?! I mean, she's your friend for God's sake!"

"Sorry Mom, but she was pretty adamant that she walk home alone, and I, AS A FRIEND, decided to respect her decision."

"Well, if Midori comes crying to me that her daughter's dear old friend ditched her and left her hanging, I will break your face." Lisa warned jokingly, but also sternly, scaring Anon slightly.

"Alright, alright...Jesus Mom...I'll go over to her house on Sunday and hang out, alright?"

"That's better. I'm sure she'll really appreciate your company." Lisa approved with a smile, ending the tension within the Kazuma household.

"Erm...by the way Mom..." Anon stammered slightly.

"Hm?"

"Well...o-on the topic of...c-company..." The boy continued to stumble on the words coming out of his mouth.

Lisa walked out of the kitchen, drying her hands. "What is it? She asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"I err...am kinda having a...g-girl over on Sunday..."

Lisa stood there with her mouth ajar. Her mouth seemed to be moving slightly, but no words or any noise came out.

"Erm...yeah..." Anon awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "Y-You're okay with that...right?"

After what seemed like an eternity, Lisa's mouth finally moved.

"WHAT THE FU-"

...

**End of Chapter Ten**


	11. Chapter 11: Vivid

"Get off of me!"

"It was YOU wasn't it?! It was you who-stop trying to get away!"

"Let go of my hand!"

"Why should I?! You're nothing but a bully and a psycho!"

Fumi tried her best to break out of Natsuki's grasp, but the smaller girl had a surprising amount of strength; it was even stronger than their previous encounter that morning.

"Argh! Just-you're calling me a psycho?! The REAL psycho is that stupid bitch that you're protecting!" Fumi yelled as she tried to pull away for a second time, only for Natsuki to grip even harder. "Kisami, will you fucking help me already?!"

"We don't need to...we just...need someone else or a teacher to see us and then these incels will be in trouble." Kisami nonchalantly shrugged at one corner.

"Gee-thanks a lot bitch! Ugh-just let GO already!" With one final burst of strength, Fumi yanked her arm out of Natsuki's iron grip. "Jesus! The fuck's wrong with you?!"

"What's wrong with me?! What's wrong with you?!" Natsuki furiously retaliated.

"I didn't fucking do anything!" Fumi protested, switching her scowls between both Natsuki and Yuri. "I'm too fucking scared to go near that psycho bitch!" Yuri looked away in shame upon hearing Fumi's insult.

"Oh yeah? Then how the fuck do you explain strands of your RED hair literally inside the fucking toilet?! Did they magically fall out of your thick head and materialised on the toilet floor?!"

"That doesn't prove anything! Dozens of girls in this school dye their hair red!" Fumi shouted, getting more and more agitated. Kisami, on the other hand, seemed rather uninterested in the two girls' bickering.

"For the last time Fumi, let's just go. We didn't do anything and you have me as your witness. We were just in that classroom doing homework."

"Why were you in that classroom then, Miss Short Skirt?!" Natsuki glared at Kisami, which seemed to do nothing. "How is it that you were in such close proximity to the girls' toilet right when Yuri was soaked? Could it be a hiding spot, maybe? Maybe you two retreated there after punking her?!"

"We were waiting for Monika for crying out loud!" Fumi snapped. "She told us her club ends around this time, so we chose a random classroom NEAR her clubroom to chill!"

"N-Natsuki...l-let's just drop it..." Yuri timidly said from her corner, not even looking up at this point.

"Hey, I think you should listen to your crazy friend. You two should bounce before we actually do something dirty!" Fumi taunted, while Kisami rolled her eyes.

"Fumi, you're 13 Kan and throwing up after every meal. You'll get knocked out by her pinky finger. We should be the ones who are going; we don't have the time and the energy for this."

"...Grr...whatever! Just stay away from us, you freaks!" Fumi spitted as she and Kisami brushed past Natsuki and headed from the clubroom.

"This isn't over you bitches! I will search every last corner in that girls' toilet for evidence to bust your slutty asses!" Natsuki hollered at the departing girls. "Fucking-RRR! God, I should fucking report them to the fucking principal and get them expelled! Let's go, Yuri! Yuri?" Natsuki turned to see the purple-haired girl glued to the spot and trembling in fear. "Yuri...?"

"Why?" She whispered softly.

"Why what?" Natsuki asked impatiently.

"W-why are you...h-helping me..." Yuri asked with her head low. Her fingers were coiled around her hair, pulling and tugging in total fear and shock.

"Yuri...I told you already: Any person with a brain would help you there...you were literally drenched with toilet water and assaulted by two whores!"

"B-But..."

"Yuri, listen. I...c-care about you...okay?" Natsuki said with extreme hesitation.

"Y-you don't have to lie Natsuki...y-you don't need to keep up this charade..."

"What charade? What lie are you talking about?" Natsuki pressed.

"Y-you caring about me... I-I appreciate your help...b-but you don't have to keep this up...I know you only did it because you thought someone was hurt..."

"But you are hurt."

"A-Ah...b-but...I-I'm fine now...so...y-you can go now...a-and I'll l-leave you alone..."

"Yuri, no-"

"I-It's okay Natsuki...I-I'll be fine-"

"No-you WON'T be fine! How do you expect to be fine with these...th-these...cunts all around this school!"

"Y-You don't have to protect me Natsuki...I-I don't want you to put up with my...m-my...I don't want you to have to tolerate me just to keep me safe...I-it's okay. I'll understand."

"Yuri!" Natsuki stomped her right foot in a fit of anger, scaring the poor girl out of her pathetic slump. "You're not listen to me! All you're doing to giving shitty excuses to keep me away from you! Why are you pushing me away when I'm trying to help you?! Give me a GOOD reason why and I'll GLADLY stay out of your way for the rest of your high school LIFE!"

"BECAUSE YOU HATE ME! WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU WANT TO BE AROUND SOMEONE YOU HATE?! You said it yourself, VERY CLEARLY, on that Wednesday afternoon, that we were done! SO THIS IS WHAT WE ARE NOW: WE'RE DONE! SO LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE!" Yuri cried in anguish and rage, eventually crumbling down to the floor as her legs finally threw in the towel.

Natsuki stood still with a heartbroken expression on her face. "I-I..." For once, the overconfident girl found it impossible to whip up a single word to say. She simply stood there, motionless, watching helplessly as the girl in front of her slowly descended deeper and deeper into madness.

"...Sob...sob..."

To Yuri's surprise, she could hear Natsuki sobbing through her own. "Why are you crying?!" Yuri asked. "It's not like it hurts you to see someone you hate in pain-all the time! Every day of the fucking week and month, always the target for everyone! You should be laughing right now..."

"CAN YOU JUST LET ME CRY IN PEACE?!" Natsuki squeaked, and Yuri immediately stopped talking, leaving Natsuki to cry alongside her.

For a good ten minutes, the only noise on the fourth floor were the sobs of both girls, sometimes in aguish, sometimes in misery, and most of the times in half-breaths and half sobs.

"D-Do you err...w-want to go to the bookstore tomorrow?" Natsuki asked after what seemed like a lifetime of crying from the two girls.

"N-Now you're not making sense..." Yuri said, still sniffling away.

"I mean it. It's late and we don't have much time to talk-"

"What is there to talk about?" Yuri interrupted.

"Yuri-sigh...please. For once, just let me finish. Thank you. As I was saying, we need to talk: Like ASAP. Before we end up killing each other before Fumi or Kei does. But it's late, so we'll talk tomorrow. Over lunch. I need to go out and buy supplies for Sunday anyway so...what do you say?" Natsuki approached the now cooled off Yuri and stretched out her hand. "I DO care about you Yuri. And what I said on Wednesday...it was just...a heat of the moment thing...and I'm sorry, alright? I-I really want to be better friends with you...it's just...our personalities are conflicting, and hell; it's a whole lot more than that too...but believe me when I say that...I want to put all of this behind us. I don't want this to stand between our friendship...every day I had to apologise for accidentally insulting you, every day I was a bad friend, I regret every second of those incidents. I want to prove to myself and the club that...despite our differences...w-we can still end up being closer friends than ever before...and for not trying to do that these past few weeks...I-I'm...s-s-sorry." Natsuki took a deep breath after her decade long rant. When she reopened her eyes, she could see that Yuri was no longer looking down on the floor anymore: Instead, she was looking up in shock, her eyes glistening with tears, but layered underneath all that was a small lining of hope.

"What do you say? Wouldn't you like to be better friends too?" Natsuki asked again, stretching her hand out further. "I-I'll let you pick a novel for me to read...it can be as thick and wordy as possible-I may need to consult the dictionary every ten seconds, but I don't care. I'll read it...for you."

Natsuki held her breath while waiting for Yuri's response. Sweat was pouring out of every pore in her body as she waited nervously for Yuri to act.

"I-I'll..." Yuri finally opened her mouth. "I'll make sure I find the biggest book then..." she said with a nervous smile.

Natsuki felt an enormous weight lift off of her shoulders and she could barely contain her laughter. "Pfft-AHAHA! Wow Yuri! You think a stupid book is gonna get the better of me? I'll finish it before you can even buy it!"

"Huhu! I-I'm certain you couldn't finish it even with all the scholars in the world helping you." Yuri joked, her mood finally lifted out of the despair pit.

"Oh really? Well I-I'll finish it before we even get to the bookstore!" Natsuki responded, her smile growing wider.

"Huh. I think the clerk will say something like "Are you sure you're not looking for Kimiko Bookstore for Growing Toddlers?"" Yuri fired back, her smile growing proportionately to Natsuki's.

"Oh, okay! Well you're probably gonna be the assistant to the ASSISSTANT of the manager of Kimiko Bookstore!"

"And you're gonna be the cleaning lady's soap provider's gardener's dog's caretaker's assistant!" Yuri tried, slightly unsure of her roast. Natsuki looked slightly unsure as well, but ultimately decided to give this round to Yuri.

"AHAHA! Okay, okay, I concede, Literature Genius! HAHAHA!"

"Huhuhuhuhu!"

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

"Huhuhuhuhu!"

"AHAHA...haah..."

"...sniff...o-oh my...I-I don't think I've ever laughed this hard my entire life!" Yuri noted as she wiped tears out of her eyes.

"Yeah, me neither...oh that was...that was something, wasn't it?" Natsuki agreed, smiling.

"I-It certainly was..." Yuri said as Natsuki looked over her, smiling warmly. "F-friends?"

"Friends!"

Natsuki stretched out her hand once more and this time, Yuri finally grabbed it and pulled herself to her feet. "Wow. You're stronger than I thought." Natsuki noted, earning a slight blush from Yuri.

"Thank you, Natsuki." Yuri smiled bashfully, making Natsuki tear up once more. Seeing her happy and...rid of any pain was just so...Natsuki couldn't describe it, but it was certainly a good enough feeling.

"Hey. Don't mention it." Natsuki smiled back. "So, I guess we better get going huh?"

"Wh-what's the time-O-OH MY GOODNESS! W-We cried for half an hour?!" Yuri flew into a panic after checking her watch.

"Y-yeah...we're kinda drama queens aren't we?" Natsuki joked again and sure enough, Yuri laughed along.

"Huhuhu! But really though...w-we should get going..."

"Yeah. Erm, so I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Y-yeah...I-I'll text you the location of my favourite bookstore when I reach home, okay?"

"You got it! Well, my home is on this side, so...bye Yuri!"

"B-Bye Natsuki..."

And with that, the two friends parted ways and headed straight for home.

...

"Welcome home, my sweet bun! How was school?"

"Ehehe! It was great. I had a lot of fun in the club!"

Sayori had just returned home after a long hour at the Literature Club and was more ready than ever to unwind. Midori too had also returned from work not too long before Sayori did, and was already starting to prepare dinner.

"That's good, that's good." Midori replied from the kitchen. "Go and wash up; dinner's ready in about twenty minutes."

"You got it Mom..." Sayori responded rather lifelessly. As she snatched her towel from her drying rack, Sayori tried her best to forget what terrible day she just had at school.

It was almost as if that day was just made to ruin her entire mood after what she thought was a comeback the previous night. Everything that could go wrong did in fact go terribly wrong.

And things were just about looking up too. For one, she managed to finish one set of her homework. Granted, it was her poem for the Literature Club, but still; it was work she had to do, and it had to be done at home: Homework.

That counts for something right?

But no, the elements just decided that one proud moment was one too many.

"...sigh..." Sayori sighed heavily as she stepped into the shower and undressed. "...Okay, come on girl; you can do it...It's the weekend tomorrow...you can sleep the whole day if you want."

Sayori turned on her shower tap and let the warm water run down her bare back. Normally after about one or two minutes, she would start rinsing herself and get the soap ready, but today she was simply too tired to even scrub herself. Instead, she merely stood under the shower, letting the running water drown out her thoughts.

"Oh, the weekend." Sayori's inner voice went. "What am I going to do? Nothing. That's right: A wonderful day with so much opportunity and you're just gonna waste it all by doing nothing. Because that's what you are: Nothing."

"...No. You are NOT getting into my head today...Not today sir! I am going to have a fruitful and eventful Saturday with my friends and I'm going to let each and everyone one of them down like I did today-NO! F-FUCK! G-GET OUT!"

"Sayori?!" Midori's muffled voice pierced through the bathroom's sliding doors. "What's going on in there?"

"Oh-N-Nothing, Mom! Just and insect inside the toilet, that's all!" Sayori lied. "That's right, lie; that's all you know how to do. Just like you lied to Mio and Anon; your two best friends in the whole world, and you betrayed their trust."

"...sniff...I-I d-didn't! I-I...*whimper*...I-I...I lied to them-NO! I-I-JUST STOP! GET. OUT. OF. MY. HEAD!" Sayori screamed as she threw her head into the bathroom mirror with a deafening thud. By some complete miracle, the glass on it didn't break, but it still hurt Sayori pretty badly as she collapsed to the floor, clutching her head in pain and anguish, tears pouring out of her eyes.

"...A-AAHH! AAAAAAHHHHHHH! JUST STOP! PLEASE!" Sayori wailed as the pain continued to throb, pulsating with each heartbeat. As Sayori lay there on the floor, her vision started to deteriorate and everything around became blurry...

...except the mirror.

Everything was fuzz, but for some reason, she could still see the mirror perfectly...and the person inside.

"Why did you lie to me, Sayori?" Anon asked with an expressionless gaze. "I'm your best friend."

"N-No you're not! You're not him!" Sayori shouted through her tears. "Y-YOU'RE NOT HIM!"

"Why didn't you tell me anything? I was so worried..." Anon continued, and Sayori was starting to notice the lack of pupils, or anything for that matter, in his eyes. They were getting blacker and blacker by the second.

"YOU'RE NOT HIM, YOU'RE NOT HIM!"

"You only know how to make everyone you worry...you are selfish, Sayori..."

"JUST SHUT UP!" Anon's eyes were now pitch black and his skin was also noticeably paler.

"You know how you should really help everyone..?" Anon asked, sending a cold chill down Sayori's spine. She had a bad feeling she wouldn't like his answer.

"E-Eh?"

To Sayori's surprise, Anon was no longer in the mirror. For a split second, she felt immensely relieved, until she felt a looming presence behind her.

An icy cold hand grabbed her shoulder.

"KYA!" Sayori yelped as she recoiled away to see Anon standing behind her with lifeless eyes and an inhumanly wide smile.

"...by disappearing forever."

"EYAAAAAAHHHH!"

Sayori woke up panting and sweating. Frightened for her life, she quickly got up and threw herself into a corner, only to find out she was still in her shower. Apparently, the bump in the mirror knocked her out cold, leaving her lying on the toilet floor. "...sob...sob...N-NO MORE!" As fast as her remaining strength could allow, Sayori grabbed her towel, turned off her shower and burst out of the bathroom and into her bedroom, slamming and shutting her door behind her. As soon as she entered her room, she flew straight into Mr. Cow and hugged him tightly, while still completely naked.

"AAAHHH! *Gasp* Aaahh...*Inhale*...Haaah...sniff...sniff...M-Mr. Cow? I-I'm not a liar, a-am I? I'm not a bad friend, am I?!"

Mr. Cow smiled back at her.

"Oh thank you, Mr. Cow..." Sayori gave a stuffed cow a tight hug and wept into his soft wool. "...sniff...th-that was freaky..." Sayori shivered, still vividly remembering was she had just saw, or thought she had saw. "You-you'll protect me, right Mr. Cow?" Sayori asked as she sunk her tear stained face deeper into her stuffed cow.

"Sayori?!" Sayori leapt to her feet upon the sound of knocking on her door. "UWAH! I-I'm still changing Mom!"

"OH-Okay, sorry bun! Just-be quick, alright? Your dinner's waiting!"

"I'll be right out Mom!" Sayori zipped over to her wardrobe and grabbed the closest set of clothing she could fine, which resulted in a light-pink t-shirt and jean shorts "Bye Mr. Cow...thanks for believing in me..." Sayori whispered to her toy as she clumsily exited her room.

"So I got a call from Lisa earlier, while you were...chasing a fly around in the shower..." Midori said while scooping some aromatic curry out of her giant pot. It was a Friday night, and Friday nights always meant good food; or at least better than the already delectable food Midori cooked up. Sayori, however, looked anything but excited for her Japanese curry. "...and she tells me that Anon came home...and he was kinda worried about you and that you left home from the club earlier. Is everything okay? Are you feeling ill?" Midori set the pot down and gave Sayori a concerned Mom look.

"Ehehe..." Sayori laughed, with a light tone of nervousness. "Y-Yes, actually...I-I'm actually feeling kinda under the weather...s-so I came home earlier..." The girl half-lied, making sure she tells Midori what she had told Anon to avoid any complications. "I told Anon that I wasn't feeling too hot and...yeah...I didn't exactly tell him why because I wanted to go home as soon as possible...so..."

"Yeah, that's what Lisa said. But why didn't you call me? I would have drove there as soon as possible and picked my little bun up!" Midori tried to place her hand on her daughter's forehead to feel for a fever, but Sayori quickly brushed it off.

"N-No Mom, it-it's not a fever. And I-I don't want you to get sick, so..."

"Oh Sayori, your Mom's a tough girl! I'm not gonna get sick from a little flu."

"Y-Yeah, b-but...y-you can never be too careful, right?" Sayori pleaded, getting slightly nervous, but to her relief, Midori decided to drop it.

"Well, I trust you know what you're doing. My little bun's a smart girl, isn't she?" Midori gave a warm smile and pinched Sayori's cheek, making her giggle slightly. "Come on; let's tuck in."

...

"What do you mean?!"

"She said you grabbed her arm, pulled until it almost came out of its socket and threatened to shove your fist in a place I refuse to name!"

"I didn't say that! Well, it was more like...well I didn't say that!"

"Natsuki-I don't care what you said! You could have gotten into serious trouble if a teacher caught you!"

"I don't believe it! You're taking THIER side?!" Natsuki yelled into her pink phone, ignoring the annoyed glares of random commuters around her. "They literally beat one of your club members and drenched her with TOILET WATER!"

"I'M NOT TAKING ANY SIDES!" Monika's disgruntled voice yelled back through Natsuki's phone. "I mean, do you have any evidence that they did it?"

"I have a strand of Fumi's red fucking hair right now!" Natsuki growled, tightening her fist. "So please, keep denying that it was them!"

"Natsuki-Fumi is literally one barf away from being admitted to a rehab centre! Do you seriously think she had the strength to pin down someone like Yuri?!"

"No-but with Miss Short Skirt's help she could!" Natsuki adamantly argued.

"Natsuki, Kisami's skirt isn't that short-"

"Whatever sis! If you're not gonna help me, I'LL DO IT ON MY OWN!" The irate girl screeched before shoving her phone back into her pocket. "UGH! That frikin' Monika-Jesus, the NERVE of her to side with her fake friends over her frikin club members! I can't fucking believe her!"

After and pretty angry and frustrating walk back home, Natsuki arrived at the lift landing of her house. "...sigh...finally...I swear to God, my Dad better not be in the hitting mood or I...oh I don't even know what I'll do..." Natsuki hit the button for her floor and waited for the lift to arrive, but something caught her eye. "The hell's this?" The girl squatted down and stared at the dirty floor.

There was dried up blood splattered all over a few tiles. The darkness of an early morning probably meant she didn't notice it before, but now, under the amber glow of the setting sun, it was all there for her to see; clear as day.

"Oh-oh no..." Natsuki said to herself worriedly. "D-did he come back injured yesterday? W-Was that why..." The pink-haired girl's heart started beating rapidly. "Did he rub his nose or anything like that-come on Natsuki, think!" Natsuki nervously looked around the lift landing.

No security camera: They lived in a rather old part of town anyway.

"Phew...that's that part taken care of...oh fuck, I like how I'm just assuming HE was the one that threw punches...I like how I'm assuming that was the reason he was upset at all! Maybe, I don't know, maybe I'm just a terrible daughter! I mean, I did assume he punched someone...or GOT punched...Jesus..." Natsuki tried her best to compose herself as the lift finally arrived and the doors finally opened and-

"Gasp!"

Speak of the devil.

"O-Oh. N-Natsuki..." Shinzo looked somewhat surprised as he stepped out of the lift. "E-Erm...w-welcome...home?" the visibly tired man greeted as awkwardly as ever.

"Th-thanks...a-are you going out?" Natsuki nervously asked, trying her best not to look down at the blood splotches.

"I err...yes, actually...I'm just, err..." Shinzo tried to mouth an excuse, but one look at Natsuki's face told him that she already knew where he was truly going. "...err...yeah...I-I bought you dinner...it's a err...omelette...rice...I hear you youngsters call it...fusion food?" Shinzo smiled awkwardly. "You know your old man's not all outdated and stuff. I know what a...dab is..?"

No response from the visibly cringing daughter.

"...err...w-well, I better get going...I'll err...see you...tonight. I'll buy supper home if you'd like."

"No thanks..." Natsuki muttered softly.

"Oh...well, if you do change your mind, you can always call me."

"...Sure..." Natsuki shrugged uncomfortably. It was getting increasingly hard not to even glance at the bloodstains.

"...I'll err...I'll be off then..." Shinzo lifted up his right hand, giving a...wave? Almost? Whatever it was, Natsuki simply turned and entered the lift, leaving Shinzo standing there as the door closed. "...Yeah, yeah...like she'll ever say goodbye to you...God..." The man shook his head as he finally wandered off.

"Gee, I wonder which Izakaya he's off to now..." Natsuki said to herself as she unlocked her front door. "Wait..." As soon as Natsuki stepped into her house, a rather pleasant smell entered her nose. "Did he really...?"

Natsuki walked over to the kitchen. A red plastic bag sat on the counter, along with something small and yellow. Natsuki checked the plastic bag first. Sure enough, there was a food packet inside and inside of that was the aforementioned fresh rice and omelette. "Now what's this?" Natsuki moved on to the yellow object, which turned out to be a post-it note.

"Extra surprise in the fridge"

Natsuki raised an eyebrow and turned to the fridge. "It better not be beer...or the head of the guy you killed last night..."

It wasn't.

"Holy shit...this is...frikin' raspberry parfait...is this a joke? I didn't even think he'd know what that is! Shit...now I feel bad for accusing him of murder...God I'm such a bitch sometimes...Oh well, better heat it up before it goes bad..."

...

...

...

"So...how was the omelette rice I bought? Is it good? Cause' if it is...I can...buy it again sometime."

Natsuki stared blankly at her father. Part of it was due to the still lingering uncertainty of whether or not he fought someone; the other half was shock that he came home earlier than three in the morning. Sensing the awkward silence, Shinzo decided to drop the whole dinner thing and move on to-

"Right: So, I also bought parfait for you..." The man tried to add some excitement to his wavering voice, but Natsuki continued sitting there expressionless. "...you err...tried it? I heard it's the best in the area! The err...Miso Kitchen; that's what it was called."

"I did." Natsuki replied.

"That's...great! And is it...good?"

"It is, but I already had it before. Thanks anyway." Natsuki coldly dismissed her father and walked back to her room.

"You did?" The girl grinded to a halt, slightly scared to turn around. Instead, she kept her back to her father and swallowed. "When?"

"Last week." Natsuki answered, still not turning around. "I mean, I even bought it for you and everything, but...you didn't try it."

Shinzo looked down, his right hand going up to his face to massage his eyes. "Is err...is that so..." A tinge of guilt lined his voice, making Natsuki quiver slightly as she bit her lip.

"...Yeah. Which is why I actually didn't eat it." Natsuki said. "But that time that I did, it was indeed nice, so...you should try it." And with that, Natsuki resumed her trek back to her room and calmly shut the door behind her.

"I...I will..." Shinzo said to himself.

"You know, you should apologise to her." A voice came from behind him, making him leap out of his skin. However, as soon as he saw who had said that, he calmed down considerably. "Jesus...what are you doing here?"

A woman with hot pink hair stared back at him with a disappointed gaze. "This...half-assed, avoiding attitude is not gonna do her any good..."

"What do you know? Heh...you talking to me about avoiding...you avoided her for eleven goddamn years!"

"That was out of my control and you know that!" The woman roared. "And what do you do to deal with that? You drink and drink and drink and HIT HER! How dare you, Shinzo!"

Shinzo put his head in his hands and let out a low groan. "It is not my fault!"

"How is it not your fault?! Lecture me then; how is it not your fault? A-Are you saying it's her fault; for asking that God forsaken question? Well how could she know that right then? She was six for Christ's sake!"

"I'm sorry, I'M SORRY! I know it was an innocent question, okay?! It just...at a time like that! And right when you went to-fucking Jesus!" Shinzo collapsed to his knees and began sobbing. "I'm...I-I...I'm sorry...gah...sniff...I'm sorry..."

"Right, so that makes it okay for you to hit her like your personal punching bag, is that it? That one question is what caused you to make her life a giving hell-DON'T BULLSHIT ME. You deliberately went out of your way to screw both your lives up! Drinking after work?! Hitting her for no good reason?! Getting into fights with degenerate lowlifes that what you want?! You're a businessman! You have...decency! You are mild-mannered and classy! Well, you were at least! And now you're on the level of barflies and stoners?!"

"I don't do drugs, Natsune-"

"Yeah, but you might as well be! Sigh...look...I'm sorry I left you two alone. Shinzo, Shinzo look at me!" The woman cupped her husband's face in her hands and brought it up to her level. "I really am sorry. It's something I have regretted...and I know that...deep down...it's MY fault...Mine. Not yours. And I know you're sick of everything and her making it seem like it IS yours, but it's mine, okay?" Shinzo looked at his wife with tears in his eyes.

"...Sniff...I-I just...sniff...I-I-I..." The man's voice started to break as he slowly started to lose control of himself. "...I-I-I...I never...I just...I...Oh God! I..."

"Hey, hey, hey...it's okay...my tough guy doesn't cry, does he? He always likes to look strong and hunky in front of his wife and daughter, right? Come on...the both of you will get through this...I promise."

"...Sniff...A-Ah..." Shinzo wiped his eyes. "...th-th...thank you..."

"There's my little tough guy...Now, I promised you things will get better...will you promise me the same thing?" The woman looked at him with a kind but serious expression.

Shinzo slowly nodded his head and a rare smile began to form.

"I...I promise..."

"Thank you." The woman stood up to leave, but Shinzo snappily grabbed her wrist.

"Just...one more minute...please..." The sniffling man looked pleadingly at his wife.

"...Okay..." The woman sat back down and snuggled up under her husband's wet chin. "One more minute..."

"A-Ah...This...this feels nice..."

"Dad? Who are you talking to?"

"GAH-!" Shinzo jerked up in his seat and bumped his head on the shelf he was sprawled under. "OW-FUCKING...JESUS!"

"Holy crap, I-I'm sorry Dad..." Natsuki's face flew into a panic. "A-Are you okay?"

"Y-YOU-" Shinzo cut himself off after remembering what his wife had just told him. "-Fine. I'm...fine..."

"A-Are you sure?" Natsuki asked worriedly, turning around towards the bathroom.

"Y-Yes I am-N-No need for any band-aids or anything; your Dad's a tough guy...hah...he doesn't get injured easily." Shinzo lied as he painfully massaged his head, trying his best not to wince so obviously.

"A-Alright then...s-so...I probably should let you know that...I-I'm going out...tomorrow." Natsuki said nervously, her body on edge; every muscle in her body tensed up, ready to contract the second the man charges at her.

"Oh, you are? To where?" To her surprise, her father asked with relative calmness and he didn't seem to be getting to his feet anytime soon.

"Not anywhere too special: Just...the streets...is all..." Natsuki answered, still slightly anxious, adrenaline starting to pump and all.

"Okay...you...go ahead and have fun...you err...don't stay out too late, yeah?" Shinzo warned, still rubbing his head.

"N-No problem, Dad. I'll leave once you message me."

As Natsuki turned to return to her room, Shinzo popped another question which made Natsuki's heart do a somersault.

"One last thing-You're not going with any...boys...right?"

"N-No! N-Not at all...just one of my...female classmates; her name's..." Natsuki winced. Giving information about her friends to her possible deranged Dad probably wasn't the best of ideas. "...Yu-Yu...Yuya...from...well...Biology..."

"Oh..." Shinzo looked visibly relieved. "Well, you two have fun!"

"Yeah. Will do..." Natsuki awkwardly smiled and returned to her room, leaving Shinzo lying on the floor on his own.

"I promise..." he said softly. "I promise..."

The man stared peacefully at the ceiling for a few minutes before finally dozing off.

...

"_So I'll be at your house at around say...six?"_

"_That'd be fine, yes. I look forward to seeing you there."_

"_Alright, see ya Yuri!"_

With a slight flutter in her stomach, Yuri slipped her phone back into her pants pocket.

"Holy crap...Th-this is really happening...D-Dean's actually coming over to my house...This is happening...It-it's really happening! Okay...calm down Yuri...N-Natsuki's coming over s-soon...you don't want her feeling u-uncomfortable..."

"She already does, stupid."

Yuri took a deep breath.

"N-Nothing you say m-matters to me anymore..." She stated to the reflection in the bookstore window. Even though she tried to sound as calm as possible, a part of her was still worried that whatever her voices said were true.

"That's because they ARE true. Yuri, I said it before; you're not stupid. You're psycho, sure, but you aren't stupid. You know she hates you. She's only doing this because Monika asked her to."

"W-Well..." Yuri stammered, but quickly regained her composure. "Y-You are right...I am smart...Sm-smart enough to know not to listen to your lies and attempts to put me d-down..."

"They aren't lies, Yuri; I'm just trying to get you out of this toxic company that is the Literature Club: Natsuki's piss poor attitude, Monika's lack of empathy, Sayori's lack of sensitiveness, Anon's lack of anything at all; Yuri, you're the only one in that club with any substance."

"That simply isn't true at all. Monika's probably a million times smarter than me; a whole lot more understanding and patient too, Sayori is just...such a dear...I-I know sh-she's embarrassed me multiple times...b-but she was just trying to liven the mood: S-Something I clearly cannot do...a-and N-Natsuki...I know she's a bit fiery and uncompromising at times...b-but she means well! And believe me when I say...I-I am more than happy to be her friend!"

"Yuri?"

"Kya!"

Yuri spun around in shock to see Natsuki standing in front of her. "Who were you talking to just now?" The pink-haired girl cheekily asked while adjusting her bright red clip which sat right-smack in the middle of her hair.

"A-Ah...n-no, I-I was..." Yuri tried explaining herself, but ended up stumbling over her words. She was simply too shocked by Natsuki's outfit. As her eyes moved down from the girl's neatly done hair to her small white off-the-shoulder T-Shirt and then down to her frilly pink mini-skirt, her mouth just gaped wider and wider and-

"Err, hello? Earth to Yuri?" Natsuki's eyes followed Yuri's as it went down to her neon-pink pumps. "Wh-what are you...?"

"O-Oh-! N-Nothing! I-I was just...erm, sh-should we go inside? It's getting quite hot I must say..."

"Sounds good to me." Natsuki smiled, putting Yuri at ease for now. "A-After you..." Yuri held the door to the bookstore open as Natsuki rolled her eyes. "Yuri-We're not in the Literature Club. You don't have to be so formal when you talk to me, alright? And we don't even talk all that formally in the club anyway!"

"A-Ah...I-I...I suppose you're right..." Yuri laughed nervously as the two girls stepped into the bookstore. A blast of chilling air slapped Yuri in the face and the girl immediately shivered. "Th-thank God I chose to w-wear this today..." Yuri said, trying to initiate some small talk.

"Ugh-you're right...I can't believe I forgot that the air-conditioner here is like negative billion degrees...I just looked out of my window, saw the sun burning everything and just put this on. You got a sweater or anything?"

"E-Err...n-not really...s-sorry..." Yuri apologised, feeling slightly guilty for not bringing one.

"Oh-that's fine. You don't have to feel guilty about it; it's my own fault for not bringing one anyway. So, what are you looking to find?"

Yuri pondered slightly. Natsuki wasn't exactly the most patient person ever, but to Yuri's surprise, she didn't seem to be any bit agitated today. Maybe it was because it was a weekend and they had all the time in the world. "Hmm...I-I supposed I might be getting two novels today...one for me and one for, you know...you..."

"Hey that's fine. I'm sticking to my promise." Natsuki proclaimed, puffing her chest.

"Huhu! I'll hold you to that then...let's see..."

The two girls decided to split up: Yuri to the novel section, which compromised mainly of four shelves in the middle of the, bookstore and Natsuki to the Manga section, which took up the entire back wall on the left side.

"Hey Yuri?" Natsuki asked from the wall to Yuri who had just walked over to the shelf closest to her. "Hmm? What is it?" Yuri calmly replied, still focused on browsing through novels.

"I was wondering..." Natsuki said, also searching through the multiple stacks of Manga. "...are you okay if...I get you something in return as well..."

Yuri stopped browsing and turned around. "Hm? How do you mean?"

"Well...since you're going through all that trouble of finding me a novel...how about I make it up to you by buying you a manga?"

"O-Oh..!" Yuri fiddled with her hair nervously. "Th-that wo-won't be necessary...th-thank you..."

"Aw, come on Yuri! I insist! It's on me, so you don't have to worry about anything; The only thing you'll be paying for is both novels!" Natsuki grinned as Yuri grew more nervous.

"B-But...uuu...y-you just want me to read a manga, don't you...I-I can't believe I fell for it..." The girl blushed in embarrassment, her face hiding behind her hair.

"Hey, hey, hey..." Natsuki immediately cancelled her laughter after seeing Yuri lose her confidence. "...I'm still gonna read the novel that you get for me...it's not like I'm tricking you or anything...besides; I'll find you a horror one, that sound good?" Yuri immediately perked up the millisecond Natsuki mentioned horror.

"I...I suppose I would like that, yes...Th-thank you, Natsuki..." Yuri's face slowly emerged from her curtain of hair.

"Ahaha! I knew that would get you interested!" Natsuki laughed, causing Yuri to blush even more, but this time, Natsuki could make out a small smile. "Hey-Don't worry; this professional here is gonna find the best, the spookiest, the most metaphorical horror manga this store has to offer! You're welcome!"

"Uhuhu!" This time, Yuri couldn't help but laugh along. So far, this day was going great!

"Aha! I knew I would find something before you!" Natsuki exclaimed after a few minutes of looking through the different stacks of Manga. "Yuri?" The pink-haired girl whirled around to find her friend absent. "Yuri? Ugh...where'd she go this time...Yuri?"

Natsuki grabbed her chosen Manga and walked over to the novel section. Yuri was standing at the furthest shelf, but for some reason, she didn't seem to respond.

"Yuri! I found the perfect Manga for you!" Natsuki half-shouted, hoping to get Yuri's attention, but the shy maiden continued standing there with her back facing her. "For fu-Yuri!" Natsuki marched over to the purple-haired girl who turned out to be completely absorbed into a novel. On the floor next to her was a stack of another three novels, but it was the one Yuri was currently reading that caught Natsuki's eye.

"Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata" Natsuki read aloud. The cover of the novel was simply but cute; it showed a pink and white polka-dotted napkin with a small O-nigiri sushi placed on top of it; the sushi was decorated with bits of seaweed and roe to look like a woman's face. "Hm...Hey Yuri!" Natsuki tapped the cover of the novel, causing Yuri to jerk back in fright.

"WAH!" Yuri exclaimed in shock, nearly dropping her novel.

"EYAH!" Natsuki jolted back from Yuri's sudden reaction.

"M-My goodness! N-Natsuki! M-Must you r-really sneak up on me like that?!" Yuri crossly scolded the still recovering Natsuki.

"...Pant...phew...holy cow...Sneak up on you? Yuri; I have been calling your name for five frikin' minutes! I was starting to think that you actually left the bookstore!" Upon hearing Natsuki's reasoning, Yuri's face immediately flushed red and she looked away apologetically.

"O-Oh...Y-you did...uuu...h-how inconsiderate of me...I-I'm so sorry!" Yuri apologised, hiding her face.

"No, no...hey I'm not mad at you or anything...I just...I was just trying to tell you that..." Natsuki took the Manga out from behind her back. "...I found THIS for you!" Yuri gingerly accepted the Manga from Natsuki. It was still fresh inside its plastic wrap and the cover was more than ominous; showing a rather creepy looking girl with an eye-patch cuddling a small doll. Her working right eye was red in colour.

"A-Another..." Yuri said to herself as she studied the cover and then the back cover.

"Yeah, it's a horror themed one! I know it cause' I read it before, but somehow this bookstore's still selling it. So, whaddya think?" Natsuki smiled expectantly.

"I-I thought you w-weren't a fan of horror..." Yuri asked, her eyes still glued to the Manga.

"Oh, I am...It's just...okay maybe I was stretching the horror aspect of this series; it's not like...ghost and spooky shit and stuff like that. It's more along the lines of...supernatural things happening, rather than supernatural entities, you get me?"

"Hmm...I must say...this...does seem rather interesting...umm...th-thank you, Natsuki..." Yuri blushed slightly.

"Told you I was an expert!" Natsuki grinned widely. "Oh I can't wait for you to read this and get spooked! And you can also tell me in like one week that Manga is actually literature! I can't wait to hear that from you!"

"Uhuhu! Well, I-I'll definitely start reading this when I get home...Th-there actually was a novel with the same name, now that I remember..."

"Yep! I was too lazy to read the novel so when I heard they made a Manga of it, let's just say I was more than excited to get it. So, what have you found for me?"

"Ah-well..." Yuri timidly held the novel she was reading earlier out towards Natsuki. "Erm..I-I went for something I thought you were more c-comfortable with..." the girl shyly looked away as Natsuki went over to read the back of the book, her heart beating faster and faster the more Natsuki read. "R-Relax Yuri...sh-she'll like it...she'll like it..." Yuri told herself in an attempt to calm herself down, which seemed to work until Natsuki finished reading.

"Uuu! I-I knew y-you wouldn't like it!" Yuri whimpered. "Uuu...H-How embarrassing of me...y-you can put it back if you don't-"

"YURI."

"Mph!"

Yuri was taken completely by surprise by what Natsuki had just did. She didn't know how to react, she didn't know what to say; she simply stood there in complete shock.

Natsuki, in an attempt to shut Yuri up, had shoved her left index finger right onto Yuri's lips.

"Mph?" Yuri grunted, still unable to say anything or react.

"A-Ah!" Natsuki suddenly realised what she had just did. "O-OH MY FUCKING-EW, EW, EW, EW, EW!" The flustered girl frantically dug through her handbag and pulled out a small handkerchief and began wiping her finger, while Yuri continued standing there in confusion. "N-Natsuki...wh-why'd you do that...?"

"I-!" Natsuki opened her mouth, but not a single word came out. Both girls simply stood there in an awkward silence. "...Let's...let's go pay for the books..." Natsuki finally suggested and Yuri silently agreed. The two girls went over to the cashier counter, paid for their books and left the bookstore without so much as a word between them...

...

"So have you talked to Mio yet?"

"N-Not really...why?"

Monika sat on her bed, her legs kicked up onto a footstool in front of it and her back leaning against the wall which her bed was up against. On her lap was her laptop, which was decorated in musical note stickers. Since the festival was now only two days away, Monika and Sayori decided to video call each other on Skype.

For most of the morning, the two girls had been hard at work designing posters and pamphlets for the club, but by midday even Monika was feeling quite tired and decided to pause for a break. The president decided to use this time to try to figure out what was really going on with her friend after her melancholic episode the previous day.

"Oh really? How come?" Monika asked a relatively cheerier Sayori.

"I just...you know...haven't come around to calling her yet...She's probably still mad at me anyway but oh well..."

"How do you know that? I'm sure she's more than willing to forgive you than you think-"

"Well, yeah. But that's for every other thing I piss her off in..." Sayori said with slight dejection in her voice. "...This is her grandparents we're talking about, Moni...she's super sensitive about it and...Well I pretty much dropped the ball yesterday..."

Monika stayed quiet for a good while. Something told her that answering with the wrong words could sour their whole call in an instant. "W-Well..." Monika stuttered slightly. "Erm...I know it's not my part to say anything since I don't know the situation at all...but I still think you should at least try to contact her...If she's still unwilling to forgive you, then at least you'll know when is a better time, you know? It's better than just not knowing and having these...negative thoughts in your head. But it's your call, Sayori; like I said, it really isn't my part to say anything."

"No, you're right Monika." Sayori responded. "I-I should call her...or at least text her...yeah, I think texting's a good start. The determined girl pulled out her phone and began typing on it. "I'm sure she'll forgive you, Sayo." Monika said encouragingly, earning a small smile.

"There." Sayori said as she finally sent her text. "Now I'll just have to wait for her reply."

"How about we go do something else; to take your mind off that." Monika suggested.

"What do you have in mind?" asked Sayori.

"Hmm...Aha! How about we play guess the drawing! We each take turns to draw someone from school and the other has to guess who it is!"

"Ehehe! That's a brilliant idea, Monika! I'm not really good at drawing though..."

"Eh? Don't say that, Sayori; the poster you draw and your designs for the pamphlets are awesome! They're definitely gonna attract a lot of people!" Monika encouraged, causing Sayori to blush.

"Gee thanks Monika! Anyway, do you wanna start first?"

"Sure!" With that, Monika grabbed a pen from her pencil case and began doodling on a piece of scrap paper. After a few minutes, she lifted it up in front of her webcam for Sayori to see.

"Ehehe! That's an easy one: It's Natsuki!" Sayori laughed.

"The angry eyes gave it away, huh?" Monika laughed as well.

"Yup! My turn, my turn!" Sayori grabbed a red crayon and began colouring her chosen schoolmate while Monika patiently waited. Once she was finished, Monika took one look at her drawing and immediately knew who it was.

"Ahaha! My my, could that be our dear old chemistry teacher?" Monika chortled after seeing the large pair of spectacles.

"That's right!" Sayori grinned.

"See! I told you your drawings were good! Ok...let's see..." Monika thought a good while before starting on her second drawing.

"Okaaaayyyy...How's this?" Monika held up a piece of paper with a crudely drawn boy on it. He donned a thick pair of spectacles with square frames and his tongue was sticking out if his mouth.

Sayori took a second to guess it, but when she did...

"Snort! PFFT-HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"AHAHAHAHAHA!"

"EHEHE!"

"AHAHAHAHA!"

Both girls broke down into a fit of uncontrollable laughter for a good five minutes. Monika's sides were starting to hurt and Sayori nearly laughed herself off her chair.

"Ehehe-oh-oh my! AHAHAAAA!" Sayori cried, almost out of breath.

"AHAHA-SNORT! AHAHA! Holy shit! Holy shit that's the best moment of my entire life! Holy shit-gasp-holy shit I can't stop laughing! Ahahahahaha!"

"Ehehe! Let me draw him!" Sayori snorted.

The girl girls ended up trying to see who could come up with an uglier looking Kouichi for the rest of the hour.

"Draw his eyes looking in different direction!" Monika suggested, which Sayori gladly added to her drawing.

"Oh I know! I'll add nose hair!"

"Colour his teeth super yellow as well!"

"EHEHE!"

"AHAHA!"

-SMASH!-

"Uwoah!" A sudden noise coming from Monika's side shocked Sayori out of her skin. "Jeez, what was that?" Sayori then noticed that Monika had stopped laughing.

Her face was in fact, looking kinda down.

Disappointed even.

Slowly but surely, as Sayori's ears acclimatised to the eerie silence of Monika's side of the call, she could make out what seemed to be faint shouting

Two people, in fact; one man, one woman.

"M-Monika?" Sayori asked nervously. To her dismay, Monika started to tear up slightly. "I-I'm sorry Sayori...I-I have to go...I'll call you back later in the afternoon, a-alright?" The usually confident club president's voice was starting to shake, filling Sayori with concern.

"I-Is everything okay?"

"..." Monika bit her lip, almost as if she was trying to hold back her tears, which were starting to pool up. "...Everything's fine..." Monika answered monotonously and abruptly ended the Skype call.

"..."

Sayori sat by her desk in silence.

"Oh no...M-Monika!" The girl cried. She didn't know how, but she somehow managed to figure out what that was all about, and now it was her turn to be in tears. "...sniff...wh-why can't everyone j-just be h-happy?"

Sayori looked out of her bedroom window. The sun was still shining brightly.

"N-No! I-I refuse to...I refuse! A walk around town sh-should help!" Wiping her eyes, Sayori grabbed her purse and swiftly left her room.

"Ah...nice and warm..." Sayori said to herself after leaving her house and stepping onto the road. Lazy Saturday afternoons meant that cars would rarely drive by her area, which made it perfect for an afternoon stroll. "Where should I go?"

Sayori's stomach rumbled.

She may have just eaten lunch not too long ago, but she was somehow still not full and now she was already feeling hungry.

"Miso Kitchen it is then! I wonder how Aunty Aiko's doing..." Sayori concluded and headed straight to the Miso Kitchen.

"Excuse me, miss?"

"Eh?"

Sayori was suddenly turned around by a male voice coming from behind her. Her eyes were met with the most handsome man she had ever seen. He donned the signature outfit of a policeman; white shirt, deep blue vest, and he had lush blonde hair and bright blue eyes.

"Sorry to bother you, but I was looking for..." The young policeman trailed off as his eyes landed on Sayori. "...Sayori?"

"J-James..."

...

...

...

"Oh I'm so happy that the two of you have found each other again! When James left for Tokyo I was so sad that the three of you will no longer be playing together and coming to my kitchen for snacks!"

"Don't worry Aunty Aiko, I'm back! I have rounds to do and luckily I was assigned here and well, I just happened to bump into Sayori on one of my rounds." James smiled at the old woman as she poured a scoop of Miso Soup into his bowl.

"Ehe...if only Anon was here...then it would really be like childhood!" Sayori beamed just as brightly as Aunty Aiko turned around and ruffled her coral-pink hair softly.

"Where is he anyway, that Anon?" James asked Sayori as the two childhood friends sipped their soup.

"Oh, he's..." Sayori's face fell for a split second, but she quickly covered it up with her usual smile. "He's out...getting groceries for his mother."

"Ah, well there's always next time, right?" James smiled, causing Sayori's heart to flutter slightly. "So how have you been? How's school, how's life, how's everything?"

Sayori tried her best not to grimace, scowl or make any sort of negative expression. "Mm..." Sayori tensed up. "It's...it's going great! Me and Anon still keep in contact every day, schoolwork is getting harder since I'm a junior now-"

"Wait, you're-You're four years younger than me, right? Three, four...ah, wow: You ARE a junior...Jesus; time flies super fast, huh? When I was enrolled in the police, each day felt like an entire week!"

"Ehehe! Well, that school most of the time anyway!" Sayori giggled.

"How's Anon? Are you two still close? Does he like, come over to your house to hang out every so often?"

"Not exactly...we've...kinda drifted apart over the years, but recently we've met up again and we're starting to hang out more! Just like old times again!"

"Heheh, yeah I'm definitely happy to hear that." James nodded approvingly.

"It was mostly because I convinced him to join a club that I'm in; I'm the Vice President!" Sayori proclaimed proudly, to which a bemused James asked "Are you now? Of what club? Cheerleading?"

"No, silly; Although that WAS my club in Middle School; I'm in a Literature Club! We write poems, we share stories, trade books and novels, it's awesome! I met so many good friends there!"

"That's great, Sayori! I for one: Totally not a book guy. I couldn't tell the difference between A William Shakespeare and a Macbeth."

"James! Macbeth is written BY William Shakespeare! Even I know that!" Sayori chortled. James, however, stood his ground.

"Well I'm SORRY, Miss Doctor Seuss. Unlike you, someone flunked his General Paper." The police officer rolled his eyes.

"Ehehe!"

The pair continued on with their soup with some minor small talk. Each time Sayori took a look into James' eyes, she felt something rather similar to when she looked at a certain childhood friend of hers.

No way, right?

"Anything else interesting going on with you? You got a boyfriend?" James suddenly said out of nowhere, making Sayori almost choke on her soup.

"Eh?! Boyfriend?!"

"Yeah. You know? You found someone?"

"Ehehe...n-not really?" Sayori trailed off, her mood starting to worsen.

"Aw, well, don't worry about that now, okay? Your focus is on studies; your finals are next year, right? I remembered being preoccupied with girls when I was your age and, well...let's just say I was lucky the police force decided to accept me."

"Err..." Sayori looked at James deeply. An idea came to her head.

If Anon was already looking to be with Natsuki, then maybe...just maybe...

But if it failed, it would be super awkward, right?

"Err, James..." Sayori fumbled with her words slightly.

It was worth a shot, right?

"Do you...have a girlfriend, James?" Sayori said with extreme reluctance, but also a slimmer of expectance.

"Yes, yes I do."

"..."

Sayori's heart stopped. "...Keep it together...keep it together..." The crumbling girl told herself.

"Aw! That's awesome, James! What's she like? Is she pretty? Tall? What's her hair colour?" Sayori assaulted James with a barrage of over-enthusiastic questions.

"Haha! Well, she certainly is something!" James pulled out his phone and showed Sayori a Polaroid image he stuck underneath his phone case. It was a picture of James and girl posing together for a photo. The girl was one of the most beautiful girls she had ever seen; Blonde hair similar to James, sharp nose and perfect skin, not to mention a figure that rivalled Monika's. She was possibly even more beautiful than Monika, or even Yuri.

"Wow James! She's so pretty! I'm super happy for you!" Sayori squealed, hugging James tightly.

"Aha-okay, okay, you're choking me now, -cough cough-, wow. Thanks Sayori, it means a lot to me! And don't worry, you'll find someone!" James gave a reassuring smile.

"I already have..." Sayori muttered softly.

"Hm, what was that?" James raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, nothing! You don't have to worry about me James!" Sayori hurriedly tried to dismiss the conversation.

"Well, I trust you. But, just some advice; it really isn't wise to be concerned about this boyfriend-girlfriend stuff. It ruined me, Sayori." James suddenly turned rather sullen as his yes drooped slightly. Just focus on your studies and forget the whole relationship thing. Most boys around my age are still immature, so, yeah. Anyway, I better get going; my next shift is starting soon."

"Ah-then you better go then; I'm staying here a bit longer to help Aunty Aiko clean up." Sayori lied.

"Alright then. I'll see you around soon, yeah?" James smiled and Sayori nodded wordlessly. "Welp-I'll be off then! Say hi to Anon, will you? Bye!"

"W-Will do..." Sayori waved after James as the young police officer departed the Miso Kitchen. As she sat there by herself next to the door with Aunty Aiko cleaning at the back, her eyes once again started to water.

"No!" She told herself firmly. "James is right! I don't need to focus on relationships! Study, study, study!" With a newly determined look, Sayori stood up from her seat with a sudden burst of energy. "Aunty Aiko!" Sayori called out as the old woman turned. "Thank you for the free soup! I'll be off now!"

"Aww, don't mention it my dear. You are always welcome here! Take care!"

...

It was approaching late-afternoon, and after a hearty lunch, Yuri and Natsuki were finally starting to get exhausted after all the walking and browsing. To wrap up their bonding session, Natsuki decided to find a spot in the city park to sit and rest for a while.

Natsuki also decided it was a perfect opportunity to bury the hatchet and animosity between the two girls.

"Ah...my legs are gonna fall off, I swear." Natsuki sighed as she sat herself down on a park bench; Yuri sat down next to her, setting her book bag next to her.

"I-I must say..." Yuri started rather quietly. "I...I enjoyed myself today. Th-thank you, Natsuki, for this outing."

"Aha, w-well, you're welcome, Yuri." Natsuki fumbled over her words, but more than that, she was also struggling to find the right moment to have her talk. "Say, Yuri-"

"I-I'll make sure I read your Manga! I-I can't wait to get started; Th-this looks exciting!" Yuri interrupted Natsuki with a surprising amount of zeal.

"Erm, thank you Yuri and all, but there is actually something else I want to-"

"Oh, y-you don't have to r-read my novel...I-I understand if you were only here to-"

"YURI." Natsuki half-shouted, scaring the shy girl slightly.

"A-Ah! W-what?!"

"Listen! I-I have something to tell you..." Natsuki trailed off, rapidly losing her confidence.

"What is it, Natsuki?" Yuri looked curiously over at the fidgeting girl.

"I-I wanted to say that...I...I..." Natsuki struggled to deliver the sacred word.

"You're what? A-Are you okay?" Yuri grew visibly concerned.

"We need to talk about Wednesday." Natsuki finally spat out with a huff.

"O-Oh..." Yuri looked down sadly as vivid memories from that day came flooding back.

"Listen...I'm really sorry about that day, okay?" Natsuki apologised while struggling to maintain eye contact.

"I-I already told you, It's okay...I was being rude and-"

"It wasn't your fault, Yuri. I was just being childish and...well...most of the fights we have had were mostly my fault, but to be honest...most of them were misunderstandings anyway. If we want to start understanding each other more, we're gonna have to clear the air and everything. You wanna know why I was so...mean to you on Wednesday? This is...unfiltered stuff right now, okay? All truth spilled, no fakes, no lies, nothing, alright?"

"O-Okay..." Yuri agreed again.

"Okay...then...I'm gonna be as brutally honest as possible...but you really insulted me that day." Natsuki said with a serious tone. "Now, I'm sorry for putting down your poem just like that, I really am, but...what you said about my poem...I understand now that you weren't trying to be mean or rude, but at the time, it sounded so... I don't know; the way you said it was like you just didn't care at all."

"But I did!" Yuri defended herself.

"I know, I know. Look: poems are personal right? We can agree on that. My poems; I put a lot of effort into writing them and when you show them to someone and all they say is "It's cute"? I pisses me off! Just because it's simple doesn't mean it shouldn't be taken seriously! I put as much effort into this as anyone else, even if it doesn't look like it on first glance."

"Is...Is that so...?" Yuri thought to herself for a while before hanging her head in shame. "I-I'm so sorry that I disrespected you, Natsuki! It was a horrid thing to do!"

"Hey, hey, hey." Natsuki stuck an affirmative arm out onto Yuri's shoulder, causing her to look at her dejectedly. "I already told you; I'm over it. But, here's the deal. I promise to be more patient, understanding and not jump to conclusions. I was angry at that time and I just...I didn't even listen to what you had to say and just...lashed out and I'm really, REALLY sorry for that. I embarrassed you and...and insulted you and...all you were doing was just trying to be helpful...and I mistook it for you thinking you're better than me, which was immature and shallow."

"It-it did make me pretty upset...I almost left the club because of it." Yuri sorrowfully admitted.

"Well, thank God you didn't, because I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if you did..." Natsuki laughed awkwardly. "But anyway...there. I said my piece. Whatever you want to admit to me, just say it out here and now. I can take it."

"V-Very well..." Yuri stammered. "Wh-when you shut me down without listening to my side, it...it really frustrated me. I-I really tried to say something nice and end the conflict, b-but you kept escalating it and I had no idea what to do! And then you continued to put words in my mouth with the whole Anon thing...He really did like my poem, but you twisted my words and embarrassed me!" As Yuri continued on with her side of the story, Natsuki felt more and more guilty. Tears started to well in up her eyes and her lips started quivering. "You said...horrible things about me a-and...it made me feel so...disgusting...and unconfident...All I did was try to be nice and...a-and...A-Ah..." Yuri stopped talking as soon as she saw Natsuki's teary face. "N-Natsuki?"

"I'm sorry." Natsuki apologised through her tidal wave of tears. "...I...I didn't mean to...I-I...sniff...I never meant to hurt you as badly as I did...a-and...I-I'm so sorry! S-sniff...I-" Natsuki's choked words were suddenly interrupted by Yuri wrapping her arms tightly around her. "A-Ah! Wh-what are you doing?"

"I-It's okay, Natsuki..." Yuri gently reassured the snivelling girl. "I-I forgive you. Y-you don't have to k-keep blaming yourself over this...I-I'm fine, okay?"

"H-How can you forgive me after I said all those rancid things to you! I-I knew what you were going through and I-I-I...I was still such a bitch to you!" Natsuki wept on.

"B-Because we must forgive and forget..." Yuri hushed her friend. "Wh-what you said really hurt me and it made me feel lost; like I belonged nowhere. The club no longer accepted me and I had no one after that...B-But now...s-seeing you genuinely apologetic for what you did...I...I believe you truly understand your actions and whatever adverse effects they had...b-but I'm okay now! A-And it was all because of you! You standing up for me in front of Fumi...S-so...please don't blame yourself, Natsuki..."

As Yuri finished her rant, Natsuki's face stayed buried in Yuri's now drenched shoulder. "Th-thank you Yuri...I-I really needed to hear that from someone..."

"Ah...it's...it's nothing...Y-You standing up for me was...I-I could never repay you for what you did...N-No one has ever done that for me before...Y-you and Dean-O-Oh! I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to mention him!"

"It's fine." Natsuki whispered through Yuri's shoulder.

"H-Huh?! B-But I thought..."

"Yuri..." Natsuki released herself from Yuri's warm hug. "I'm...I'm also sorry for insulting him in front of you...I just...never mind, b-but...I'm super happy that you managed to find someone who shares your interests a-and I'm so happy for the two of you..."

"Natsuki..." Yuri looked bashfully at her friend. "Th-thank you. Y-your words mean so much to me...A-And I'm sorry I for not acknowledging your deeds as well! It-it wasn't really my intention! I-I appreciate what you did for me just as much as Dean's!"

"I know you did...and I'm sorry for thinking otherwise...But I'm over that, alright?" Natsuki reassured the shy girl. "Yuri." Yuri timidly looked over at Natsuki. "Can we promise each other one thing?"

"Wh-what is it?" Yuri asked softly.

"I-I promise not to be so hot-headed and jump to conclusions and not listen to what you have to say...and...will you promise to not look down on my Manga and my poems? Well, I know you never did, but...can you please promise me that?"

Yuri let out a small smile. "I-I promise."

"Thank you..." Natsuki whispered.

"A-And I promise to think over my words more carefully so as not to accidentally insult you!" Yuri added. "I-I'll choose my word choice much more carefully from now on!"

"And I promise to not take your words to seriously and be more patient and understanding." Natsuki also added.

The two girls sat facing each other, out of breath after their string of promises.

"Th-thank you..." Yuri finally said after catching her breath.

"And thank you." Natsuki said, finally with a smile on her face.

"F-Friends? F-For real this time?" Yuri asked shyly, sticking out her right hand.

"Aw, come here you!" Natsuki threw her arms around Yuri, making her jump slightly, but she soon reciprocated the hug with a beaming smile of her own. "Uhuhu! Th-this feels rather nice!" Yuri laughed and Natsuki soon joined in.

"Ahahaha! Ditto, girl!"

The two girls stayed in their position for a short while before finally releasing each other.

"Well, it's getting late. You should better get going; don't wanna miss dinner date with the boyfriend, right?"

"O-Oh my..." Yuri looked off to the side, blushing deeply.

"Aww, look at you being all romantic and bashful!" Natsuki teased with a grin on his face. "Come on! We don't want you to be late, do we?"

"N-No we don't..." Yuri smiled as the two girls got up from their bench, a new spark of hope glimmered in her eyes as she looked determinedly at her friend.

"And Yuri."

"Yeah?"

"Have fun with Dean, okay?"

"You know it!"

...

"Just a second! Yuki will you watch the rice for me please? Goodness me there's just so much to do today..." Yuna scurried over to her front door and opened it. "Ah! Welcome Dean! Please, come on in!" Yuna held the door wide open for a rather awkward looking Dean who hesitantly stepped into the Katagiri household. "Please make yourself at home, my dear!"

"Ah...thank you, Mrs. Katagiri. Why, hello there you! You're Yuki, right?" Dean's face immediately lit up when he saw Yuki scamper out of the kitchen as Yuna rushed back in.

"Mhm! And you're my big sister's boyfriend, aren't you?" The feisty girl walked right up to the young man.

"Guilty as charged! Hahaha! So how old are you?" Dean squatted down to Yuki's eye level.

"Don't let looks deceive you; I'm Eleven and halfway through Elementary School!" Yuki proclaimed proudly. It was almost...familiar to Dean; as if he had seen that somewhere before...

"Haha, Elementary School, huh?"

"That's right! I'm the cheerleader captain and everything!"

"Are you now?" Dean chuckled. "How was your big sister's time in Elementary School? Was she as smart as she is today?"

"Pfft! Yuri? Smart? That's the biggest joke I ever heard!" Yuki scoffed and put her hands on her hips.

"I bet I can beat that." Dean confidently smirked, earning a raised eyebrow from the young girl.

"One Hundred Yen says you can't." Yuki arrogantly matched Dean.

"Is that so..." Dean slyly looked up and began to think.

...

...

...

"O-Oh my goodness! I-I'm so sorry I'm late!" Yuri burst through her front door and into her dining area. Dean, Yuna and Yuki were already seated, but they haven't appeared to have touched any of the food. Yuki, for one, was looking pretty grumpy in a salty kind of way. "Wh-what happened?"

"Your little sister here lost a 100 Yen bet." Yuna calmly explained while Yuki rolled her eyes and Dean grinned innocently.

"Wh-wha?"

"Just sit down already!" Yuki huffed. "Ugh! I'm so frikin' hungry! I'm like the hungriest person alive right now thanks to you!"

"Wanna bet again?" Dean asked sweetly, to which Yuki playfully jabbed him with her elbow. "Ow! I'm just saying..."

"You're not late sweetheart!" Yuna raised her voice slightly. "You're...just on time in fact. We've all just sat down and laid the mats and plates, so everyone's on time here, right young lady?" Yuna looked sternly and her youngest daughter, who reluctantly complied.

"A-ah...Al-alright then..." Yuri timidly walked over and sat next to Dean.

"Hey." Dean greeted.

"Hi..." Yuri blushed slightly, earning yet another eye roll from her sister.

"How was lunch with Natsuki today?" Dean asked as the four finally tucked into their dinner.

"It-it was great!" Yuri admitted happily. "We bought books for each other, we confided in each other; We-we're friends now."

"Great! See, I told you she would be over it!" Dean said proudly, increasing Yuri's blush. "Oh! Now I know!" The young man suddenly exclaimed.

"Know what?" Yuri and Yuna asked in sync.

"Who your little sister reminds me of! Natsuki!"

"Who the hell's Natsuki?" Yuki asked sceptically, not having paid any attention to the conversation.

"Yuri's friend from school. She's feisty, spunky, loves...Manga, right?" Yuri nods. "And apparently she's a world class baker as well."

"My my!" Yuna laughed while Yuki turned slightly red. "Master baker, huh? Maybe you could learn a thing or two from this Natsuki."

"Ugh!" Yuki grunted. "I already told you Mom: I'm the best baker in-" The annoyed girl stopped talking after seeing Dean raise an eyebrow. "What? You willing to be that this Nat-something is able to beat me at baking? Well how about next week then?!"

"You're on. 100 Yen again?"

"I'm so confident I'll do it for 500!" Yuki arrogantly proclaimed.

"It's gonna come out of YOUR wallet, young lady." Yuna warned sternly.

"FINE."

And with that, the entire dining table erupted into laughter; even Yuri couldn't help but laugh along with them.

Things are definitely looking up.

...

**End of Chapter Eleven**


	12. Chapter 12: Sunset

_**Author's Note: Due to the chapters gradually getting longer, I've decided to push this chapter back by a week. However, apart from this, the rest of the chapters will be released following the standard two week schedule. I have been sick recently and taken some time off from writing. Anyway, enough chit chat, let's go!**_

"Well I mean...no but...guys please."

It was a warm and lazy late Saturday Afternoon. Way deep in the outskirts of the city, the quiet roads glowed in the amber sunset, the horizon flickering under the orange light and the top of the trees simmering bright yellow.

"No-you guys don't understand. Seriously, will you just listen, Kenzo?!"

It was a rather exciting late afternoon for Dean. He had just agreed to have dinner over at Yuri's house with her, her little sister and her mother. It was actually the first time he had come over to a girlfriend's house in his whole life, and wanting to make a good second impression, he had chosen he smartest button-up shirt, stylish black pants and had gelled his hair up as much as possible. He even bought a little something for his girlfriend; but was only going to reveal it after the dinner where they would be alone together in her room. That was the plan.

"I'M NOT A-No, I understand what I was doing since the beginning; I just...didn't know it would ACTUALLY happen!"

Unfortunately, the young man seemed to have been held up by a rather important phone call.

"Please guys, please just let go of this for once! This will crush her! ...I knew what I said, but I just...Look, she's not as bad as you guys think! Please just...I do! You have a problem with that?! I have feelings, you asshat! What, you think I'm just some pathetic fraud who only dates girls for star power?! Well, fuck you then! ...So what?! I don't need the fifty dollars anymore you fuck face!"

Dean gripped his phone tightly as his face grimaced into a painful frown. Clearly the person on the other line wasn't giving him the best of news.

"No man, don't, please...I'm begging you...What..?"

Dean gripped his phone even tighter.

"You wouldn't dare...You would, wouldn't you..?" The young man took a deep breath. "Okay...okay...You can tell Mark to shred the papers...I'll do it...But it's a hundred this time...Gee, thanks but no thanks, asshole...And tell Eisen to delete every single word..."

With a heavy sigh, Dean lowered the phone from his ear and slowly slipped it into his pants pocket.

"I'm sorry Yuri..." the troubled young man said to himself as he turned to face the large household standing before him. "...Sigh...Dinner...dinner..."

Dean took a second to do his hair before walking round to the front of the house. An Oolong Grey Audi sat neatly in front of the front door.

"Ahem..." Dean cleared his throat and walked up straight to the door and gave it a firm knock. A few seconds later, it opened, a tall, slim woman with short purple hair stood behind it with a warm and welcoming smile.

"Ah! Welcome Dean! Please, come on in!" The woman held the door wide open for a rather awkward looking Dean who hesitantly stepped into the Katagiri household. "Please make yourself at home, my dear!"

"Ah...thank you, Mrs. Katagiri. Why, hello there you! You're Yuki, right?" As Dean entered the house, Yuna looked around before closing and locking it, leaving the front porch in complete silence.

...

"Wow. This stew is really good, Mrs. Katagiri...How do you do it?" Dean politely asked as he leaned back in his chair, the full feeling in his stomach starting to take effect.

"Huhu! Trade secret!" Yuna laughed, followed by Yuri.

"Oh please. You just copied some recipe on YouTube, didn't you Mom?" Yuki chortled from her seat, the bowl of rice in front of her completely empty, bar a few loose grains her and there.

"Yuki!" Yuri chided her younger sister, which earned her a blown raspberry.

"Ahaha!" Dean couldn't help but laugh at the three ladies' antics. "Don't worry, Mrs. Katagiri; your secret's safe with me."

"It better be, or I'm gonna have to kill you Dean!" Yuna joked along, as Yuri and Dean laughed as well.

"So, Dean." Yuna asked after a brief moment of silence. "You're a senior, right?" Dean nodded. "Maybe you can give our Yuri a little advice on what to expect for next year. I know the work will obviously get more challenging, but how do you manage it?"

"Well..." Dean's face turned slightly red. "...I mean, I'm not exactly getting perfect scores for all my tests, but I still do well enough to be in the upper quartile each time...I guess my advice would be...Just focus: No distractions, no procrastinating, no whatever. Just keep your head down and study; if you're unsure or have any questions, consult teachers. Never keep quiet; it was my biggest mistake in my Junior Year."

"Do you hear that, Yuri? No more procrastinating. That means you are going to have to cut down on your reading time, okay?" Yuna sternly warned her blushing daughter.

"Yeah! You heard that, Yuri?" Yuki smirked. "No more sappy romance novels!"

"The same goes for you, Yuki!" Yuna turned her attention to the spunky girl, who shrank back in her chair and pouted. "No more television. And I'm gonna make sure that advice is followed when it's your turn to be in high school."

"Anyway, yeah..." Dean finished off his rant. "Just have confidence, but don't be too overzealous. But you don't have to worry, Mrs. Katagiri; Yuri's the most intelligent girl I've ever met!" the boy bashfully complimented the blushing girl, who was now so embarrassed her face was as red as the stew in front of her.

"Uuu...D-Don't say that Dean..." Yuri muttered softly.

"Aww...Look who's getting all red again!" Yuki teased, but her smile was once again cut down by Yuna.

"Uhuh...well...Is that so? Uhuhu! I guess I raised a genius then...**A **GENIUS, young lady!" Yuna cut her youngest daughter off before she could refute with anything. "You're a genius too? You better prove it to me."

"Hmph!" Yuki pouted once again. "Well, I'm full anyway. Bye." The annoyed girl pushed herself out of the conversation and stormed grumpily upstairs.

"...Sigh...I just...don't know what to do with her sometimes..." Yuna rubbed her temples.

"Ah-Well...Both your daughters are naturally gifted, Mrs. Katagiri..." Dean smiled awkwardly.

"Why, aren't you the most charming young man I've ever met?" Yuna smiled back. "So...How did you two meet?" Yuna's question was met with embarrassment from Dean and a meek head lowering by Yuri. Both of them didn't seem keen on answering the question.

"Well..." Dean started, trying to shake away the phone call from just now. "It was recess time...And I was with my group of friends and we had just finished our food and we decided to cut through the garden on our way to the basketball court...I realised I left my binder in the canteen and went back to grab it; On my way back I saw Yuri reading on one of the benches...And the book she was holding looked really interesting; From where I was standing it looked like a POV shot of someone behind bars and when I walked over to take a closer look, behind the bars was this giant stone building and the whole thing looked so ominous..."

"Oh, I know that book!" Yuna noted. "I remember seeing it on Yuri's desk a few times when I came to collect stuff from her room...It's..."The Penitentiary?""

"That's the one!" Dean grinned, while Yuri blushed once more. "Anyway, when I sat down to ask her about the book, she was quite hesitant at first, but after a while she started to open up and by the end of recess, we agreed to meet again."

"Really? Because when I asked Yuri this last week, the only thing she told me was that you came over to her and seemed interested in her book..."

"Well, that IS what happened, isn't it?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"I know, I know; it's just...She didn't tell me you were THAT interested...I mean, you said you only saw it from afar but got instantly hooked."

"Ahaha...well...It's some cover..." Dean shrugged.

"Hmm...You're not wrong there. Welp, I'm just happy you two found each other. Seeing you two blush at each other's compliments...It feels like me and Kosei all over again."

"Huhu!" Yuri suddenly laughed. "You and Dad ALWAYS said sappy things about each other when he was still around! He's on an overseas business trip." The purple-haired girl answered Dean's curious expression.

"I guess you now know where your interest in romance comes from, huh?" Yuna smiled at Yuri, who hid her face behind her purple bangs. "Anyway, I better clean all of this up; better not get in the way of you two." Yuna stood up and began clearing the plates, as Yuri and Dean turned to face each other.

...

...

...

"Thanks for not telling her what happened..."

After dinner was done, Yuri and Dean went up into Yuri's room to rest. Before Dean had arrived, Yuri had decided to install one of her diffusers for her essential oils and the smell was already starting to get to both of them. Dean walked over to Yuri who was seated at the edge of her bed and gently sat next to her, putting his hand over hers. "It's okay...No one in their right mind would say that in front of anybody...and I figured it wasn't a day you like to remember..." Dean said softly, while Yuri nodded her head in shame.

"I-It isn't..." the girl muttered sadly.

"Hey...It's over now, alright? I'm here for you...always..."

Yuri wasn't sure of it, but she swore she could hear something off about Dean's tone. Still, she decided now wasn't the best time to inquire about such trivial matters and she instead faced Dean again.

"D-Dean...?"

"Yeah?" Dean turned to look at Yuri, whose face had now turned so red; he could feel the warmth coming from her crimson cheeks.

"D-Did you really mean wh-what you s-said...O-On that day?"

"..." Dean kept quiet for a while. Yuri could see a pondering look on his face as he travelled back in time to that fateful Monday morning. The day where Kei stepped up as a bully, the day where Natsuki first started talking to her...the day where...

...Wait a second...

As Yuri herself was taken back to that day, something about the play by play of events didn't seem to add up. Dean's story to Yuna, with the exception of the parts he had left out, was still mostly percent true; Dean and his group of friends walked past her sitting on the bench, but Dean didn't leave his binder behind; He wasn't carrying a binder. And what Dean said after that was also true; the basketball court was in the direction they were headed and it was a shortcut as compared to going by the corridors.

It's just...

"Yes."

Before Yuri could finish her thought, Dean interrupted her with a hand to her shoulder.

"I meant what I said Yuri...You don't deserve any of the shit you get." Dean said firmly into Yuri's eyes. "And everything I have said since...I meant them too; You're the most genuine person I have ever met...You're kind...you're generous...you just want to be nice to everyone...and all you get is scowls and glares...And that's just...The fact that this can go by unnoticed in our society is just...wrong...And you're the one who has to suffer for it...And if I can just...go back to before I met you...All those times you were hurt...or made for of...If I could just go back in time and stop all of it from happening...I would give up my right arm to do it...because you don't deserve any of that...And I am so, so sorry that you've had to deal with this your whole life...I am so, so sorry that people have been this unkind towards you..." as Dean neared the end of his rant, he grabbed Yuri's hand and gave it a squeeze. "...But that ends now...tonight...You don't have to suffer any longer...And the truth is...You didn't have to; you have your family...Your mother...she loves you so dearly! And your sister, well...she may not show it, but she looks up to you. I talked to her just before you arrived, and I know she doesn't want me to say it, but she told me that she was always jealous of how beautiful and smart you are...And that she hated herself for not being as good as you...You have all of these...wonderful people who would do anything just to support you...And the literature Club too! They all love and cherish you so much! Monika...Sayori...Natsuki...Anon..."

"...And you..."

Dean looked up for the first time since his rant started. Yuri was looking deeply into his eyes. All of a sudden, he felt a weird feeling in his head. The atmosphere around him was starting to get heavier.

Dean looked at Yuri. Her face was beet red and was soaked in sweat. It was then that Dean realised he himself was also sweating madly. Not only that, but his heartbeat was starting to accelerate.

"Y-Yuri..." Dean moved his hand up from Yuri's and placed it against her cheek. As the two continued staring into each other's eyes, neither seemed to notice their faces were drawing closer and closer. It was until Dean could feel Yuri's warm, shallow breaths on his lips when he realised just how close the two of them were. "A-Ah..." Dean moved back slightly. "I-I..."

"Wh-what's wrong?" Yuri asked, slightly disappointed.

"W-We can't...It...It isn't right..." Dean placed his hands onto his lap, still heavily panting. Yuri does the same, but with more reluctance.

"C-Can I...A-at least get a-"

"Of course you can, Yuri..."

Dean turned back to face Yuri, his lips parting slightly.

"I-I really like you Dean...like REALLY like you..." Yuri finally says as she hides her face behind her hair, but Dean reached in and parted it aside, revealing extremely flushed and sweaty cheeks.

"I...sigh..." Dean took a deep breath. His expression was a surprisingly pained one, but Yuri too busy blushing away to notice it. "...I like you a lot too, Yuri..." Dean gently stroked Yuri's cheeks. The girl's face crept closer to his, until they were mere centimetres apart.

The two lovers stared at each other, until finally they crept close enough that their lips were touching. Dean gently caressed Yuri's sweaty cheek, while Yuri moved in even closer; all the while both of them were sweating heavily.

The kiss carried on for a good minute, until the pair finally released each other, gasping for air, smiling at each other shyly.

"I love you." Yuri said after catching her breath, her face as red as a tomato.

Dean smiled at Yuri, his face equally as red.

"I love you too..."

...

"Wake up, sleepyhead! You got a big day ahead of you!"

"Ungh...five more minutes!"

Anon rolled over in his bed and stuck his head under his pillow.

"Sniff, sniff...ack! Ugh! *Belch* Jesus...What's the point of brushing my teeth if this happens every morning?" Anon reluctantly hauled himself out of bed and headed straight to the bathroom.

"Your breakfast's on the table, sweetie." Lisa called out from downstairs as Anon turned on the tap and let the water scrub his mouth clean for a good forty seconds. "Mrgl-! Okay!" Anon shouted through the water.

"So." Lisa said as she sat down opposite Anon at the dining table. "This...Natsuki. What's she like?"

"I already told you yesterday Mom; she's nice and she's good at baking." Anon answered rather listlessly, clearly not comfortable with this talk.

"Yeah, but there's got to be more about her, right? How did you two meet? I mean, I know you're both from the Literature Club, but what else? How did you start talking to her?" Lisa continued pressuring her son, who was starting to get agitated.

"Why do you even care, Mom? I guess, yeah we just...I don't know, started talking."

"Well, that's because I am your mother first of all, and second; I come home one day and hear that my son has a girlfriend? Who wouldn't be curious?"

"Mom!" Anon's cheeks burned up. "She isn't my-sigh...She's just a friend from school, okay?"

"Okay, okay...I was just teasing...You have to start taking things more lightly, my son. You can't always be this stiff about jokes." Lisa chided.

"I don't see what's so funny about what you asked me, but whatever. Alright, you wanna know more about Natsuki? Fine. She's pretty much an even more energetic version of Sayori. We started talking because we both like Manga and she got me some copy of her favourite series and we've been reading together ever since. We've gotten quite close over the past week and when we planned to bake cupcakes for the festival, I decided to help her since I had nothing else to do."

"What do you mean nothing to do?" Lisa asked suddenly. "What, does your club think you don't have anything to offer? That's ridiculous!"

"What?! No! Mom; I just...ugh!" Anon sighed and rubbed his temples.

"Who's in charge of your club? I'm going to speak to them and-"

"Mom! Enough!" Anon interrupted. "It's not like I'm really good at anything anyway. I'm pretty sure even YOU told me to go do something; Jeez I knew Sayori sounded like you..."

"Hey. You call me naggy, but you'll thank me when you end up succeeding at something you never even thought you would succeed in. When I was your age, I only dreamt about being a zoologist. I hated maths and loved science and guess what: I am an accountant now and I hate it. But was it successful? Kinda?"

"Not a good analogy Mom." Anon smirked, earning a stern look from Lisa.

"You...Some people are immune to good advice." The tired mother sighed.

"Well, if it makes you happy, I found out that I'm actually really good at writing poems. That counts for something, right?"

"Heh heh...Is that so? Well then I'm sure you wouldn't mind me reading them, right?" Lisa smirked.

"Ah..." Anon awkwardly scratched his neck.

"Oh come on. You do know your mother's only A was from Literature right?"Lisa asked, slightly annoyed.

"Yes, because you haven't already mentioned it like a million times." Anon rolled his eyes.

"Well, then maybe I can offer you some advice of my own! Particularly in the romance area."

"Mom!"

"Hehe, just kidding." Lisa sang sweetly. "Not to toot my own horn but, it was a poem that won your Dad over, so I am actually quite good when it comes to these sorts of things."

"Yeah. You told me that before as well." Anon muttered, with a slightly more downcast tone than before.

"...Sorry...I know Jon isn't something we like to talk about...I should just drop it-"

"It's fine." Anon reassured his mother.

"You know what, that reminds me of a time when I was in high-school and Berserk was still in its infancy; my friends and I would go out to the bookstore every day after school and browse through the many issues; Dragon Ball was at its peak; Even the copies we already had at home; we just read them on the spot every time...It was a magical feeling...Something I'd give anything to relive again...I miss the days where you could be immature and young and not care...Do you...go to bookstores: Like after school? With Sayori or Natsuki?"

"Not really...Me and Sayori passed by a bookstore on our way home a few days ago...It was like a new route we were trying...and just yesterday when Natsuki went out to get her share of the supplies, she also went to a bookstore with Yuri: She told me all about it-how it was their bonding trip to bury the hatchet and stuff..."

"Bury the hatchet? Why? They had a falling out?"

"They had many falling outs...Mostly it had to do with Yuri not respecting Natsuki's interest for Manga, but she told me it was all behind them and they managed to reconcile, which is just, awesome. I told you before that Yuri's shy and...Well I'm just happy at least someone other than her boyfriend managed to be close with her..."

Lisa raised an eyebrow. "What does that mean?"

"You know how I said I'd try to befriend her, like a while back?" Lisa nodded. "Yeah...It didn't work out..."

"What? Why?" Lisa asked, slightly confused and shocked. "Did you insult her or anything?"

"No Mom, it's not like that! For some reason, she just seems to...I don't know; it's like everything I do she just seems to not be too impressed with it and apparently she thinks I hate her when all I did was side with Natsuki over their argument! Like, I used her methods and techniques in my poems but she still refused to see them and...I just don't know what to do...And every day she seems even more and more shy than the previous and at times it's like she doesn't even want to be at the club...and I kinda feel like it's my fault."

"Oh Anon, sweetie...It's not your fault! You said it yourself; you tried to befriend her and make her feel comfortable...I know you tried and I'm proud of you for that! When you were in middle school you didn't talk to anybody at all; here you're at least making an effort! Don't beat yourself up over this, yeah? She'll come around, I promise." Lisa patted her son's head reassuringly, which seemed to improve his mood slightly.

"Thanks Mom...Did you know anyone like that...In high school?"

"Anyone? Like Yuri? Yes I did actually...I still remember that day very clearly; it was the day the bookstore first opened in our town and everyone was excited to go; well, my clique at least, and there was this girl...Her name was Moniri and she was just...the sweetest, most precious little bean I had ever seen. She was bullied often because of her shyness, so my clique and I decided to invite her to the bookstore and guess what; she ended up being more invested in Manga than any of us!" Lisa stared of into the distance, reminiscing.

"Haha, that was really cool of you to do, Mom! It's just like what Natsuki did yesterday!" Anon smiled widely.

"And I'm sure Yuri really appreciated what she did. Maybe you should do the same...Moniri...I wonder how she's doing now..."

...

"Good morning Monika!"

"H-Hey Sayori...Goodness, y-you're a little lively today, aren't you?"

Monika sat on her bed with her MacBook Air on her lap and a mug of coffee on her bed frame. There were heavy bags underneath her eyes and the girl was trying her best to keep them open.

"Yeah. I-I'm feeling better; a lot better, actually! All thanks to you!" Sayori beamed, which seemed to cheer a slightly ruffled Monika up slightly.

"That's...yawn...good to hear." Monika smiled, but Sayori could tell that something was a little off.

"Erm, is everything ok Moni? You kinda...left early yesterday..."

Monika looked down.

"It-it was nothing, Sayori...It was...my parents. They had a minor disagreement but it's nothing to worry about, ahaha..." Monika laughed nervously.

"Are you sure?" Sayori asked, concerned. "Y-you know you can always talk to me, right? Just like how I can always talk to you! We're friends-no, close friends! We can share anything with each other."

"Ahaha...thanks Sayori, but you really shouldn't worry about it; it's not a big deal, okay?"

"Okay..." Sayori reluctantly agreed with her president and took out a piece of paper. "So this is the final design I worked on when I came home from my walk yesterday; what do you think?"

"Ooh..." Monika took some time to study Sayori's design and her eyes lit up instantaneously. "Wow Sayori-this...this is amazing!"

Sayori's poster showed a cartoon version of the clubroom with a chibi Monika opening the clubroom door, ushering the viewer inside. "COME ON IN" was written at the top in bright red marker ink and inside the clubroom was the chibi versions of herself, Anon, Natsuki and Yuri, each holding up a poem, but instead of poems verses, they had instructions, lists of activities and the club timings and schedules listed on them. The chibi Sayori and Anon were smiling brightly, the chibi Natsuki was pouting as usual, and the chibi Yuri was hiding behind her poem timidly.

"This...this captures the atmosphere of our club perfectly! It's brilliant! Everyone will come to visit our club when they see this!" Monika's eyes glowed as she spouted compliment after compliment. Sayori didn't know why, but seeing Monika this excited and full of energy made her heart warm. It was a complete polar opposite of what she had seen the previous day. "It's...it's perfect..." Monika finished her list of praises with a grateful smile. "Sayori...Th-thank you...This is gonna make our club explode for sure!"

"Ehehe..." Sayori blushed deeply. "Y-You're giving me too much credit Monika..."

"Are you kidding? This is amazing! I...I'm at a loss for words!" Monika stammered, still seemingly struggling to take how good the poster was. "We'll...we'll put this up first thing in the morning! You and me!"

"Aww shucks, thanks Moni! Ehehe!" Sayori giggled shyly.

"So, tell me about that walk of yours! You said you went on a walk yesterday? How'd it go? You went anywhere cool?" Monika asked, intrigued and in a much better mood.

"Oh, I just walked around town. It wasn't anywhere too special; just to the Miso Kitchen and back." Sayori answered.

"Oh the Miso Kitchen! I would love to go there one of these days...but unfortunately I live pretty much opposite town from where you stay." Monika said rather enthusiastically.

"Hmm...maybe after the festival you could join me and-" Sayori stopped midway through her sentence. She suddenly remembered the other thing that happened yesterday. "...And...And Anon..." Just like that, the rejuvenated joy appeared to have been sucked out of Sayori.

"Err...Sayori? You're kinda..." Now it was Monika's turn to be concerned. "Is everything okay? You seem to be-"

"Sniff, I'm fine Monika." Sayori answered blankly, wiping her eyes. "Anyway, as I was saying, yeah. If you want to, you could always join Anon and I after the festival. You'd love to meet Aunty Aiko; she's super nice and friendly! Oh and James could stop by and say hello too! You'd love to meet him as well!"

"James? Who's this James? Is he a friend?" Monika asked.

"He's a childhood friend of mine and Anon! He's super handsome and super buff and he's also a police officer! He left town many years back to study in Tokyo, but he got posted here for his rounds. He and I reunited yesterday during one of his breaks and we caught up."

"Oh you did, huh? You never told me you had another childhood friend besides Anon..." Monika inquired.

"Ehehe! He's so dreamy; I used to have a crush on him too, but now he's all grown up and he has a girlfriend and everything...there's no way a girl like me can ever have a chance with someone like him."

"Woah Sayori, don't say that!" Monika's tone suddenly became rather serious. "How can you say that, Sayori?"

"But it's true Monika." Sayori looked away. "You're so beautiful and smart...if James never had a girlfriend and I introduced you to him, he'd fall heads over heels for you right then and there."

"Erm, I appreciate the kind words Sayori, but-"

"Oh but enough with that!" Sayori sniffed loudly. "We'll...let's get back to the festival! I-is there anything left we still haven't done?"

"Sayori."

"Do we need more posters? More pamphlets?"

"Sayori-"

"How about more poems? I could crank out more poems if you would-"

"Sayori!"

"E-EH?!" Sayori was jolted out of her ramble. "What?! Why are you shouting at me for?!" She asked, with a rather irritated tone in her voice.

"Sayori, I know something happened yesterday! One minute you were all cheerful and excited for the festival, the next you suddenly became all melodramatic and self-deprecating; and not in a funny way!"

"N-Nothing happened yesterday Monika, it was just-"

"Sayori." Monika said as firmly as she could through Sayori's computer screen. "I already told you...you can tell me anything-anything at all! And I now that something happened yesterday...does it have to do with James? Anon?"

By now, Sayori was starting to tremble. Her brief moment of happiness was now seemingly snuffed out. "I-I...sniff...M-Monika..."

"I'm here Sayori, what is it? I-do you need me to come over? Because-"

"No, don't. You live too far anyway...sniff...I just...I'm just...sniff...h-having a...sniff...bad day...It's just a little raincloud, nothing more..." Sayori tried composing herself, but all it did was cause more tears to start flowing out. "I just...sniff...It's just so hard! Sniff...Wh-why...why can't...sniff..." Eventually, the crumbling girl couldn't hold it together anymore and finally broke down, her head in her hands and her entire body trembling violently.

"S-Sayori!" Monika cried out. "I-I'm going over there!"

"No!" Sayori wailed through Monika's laptop screen. "P-Please! I-I'm fine! It's...just a little raincloud! Sniff...J-Just a little raincloud..."

"B-But-!"

"I said I'm fine, okay? You don't have to worry about...sniff..." Sayori tried mouthing off an excuse, but she soon gave up and hung her head low. "M-Monika...I-I'm scared..." The girl's voice shook.

"Okay that's it: I'm coming over-"

"No Monika, please!" Sayori begged. "I don't want you wasting your time and energy for me..."

"Sayori, why would you say that?! I don't care that I'll be wasting my time going over to your house; and it's not even time wasting, mind you; you're my friend! And I want to make sure you're okay! So please let me come over and help you!" Monika pleaded desperately as Sayori only continued to cry more.

"It's okay...y-you can do it from here...sniff..."

"Absolutely not!" Monika looked around for her purse.

"Monika please! Just sit down!" Sayori ordered, her eyes now puffy and red.

"Give me one good reason not to stand up and go over to your house right now! And you being okay is not one because you are definitely NOT." Monika crossed her arms.

"It's James!" Sayori spat. "Okay?! It's frikin' James! I lied! I said I was over him but I wasn't and when I found out he had a girlfriend it crushed me! Sniff...sniff...I thought I still had a shot, but obviously no boy would ever want me..."

"S-Sayori..." Monika looked on in pity as Sayori buried her face in her hands once more. "I-I never knew you felt like this all this time...B-But...I just want to let you know...that you're not worthless at all Sayori! I mean, just look at the poster you just showed me! You're super creative, super talented, and you put a smile on everyone's faces! The Literature Club won't ever be the same without you!"

"I put smiles on everyone's faces? What about that time I threw Yuri's wine bottle into the trash? Or that time where I annoyed Natsuki? Were they smiling after that? I knew you wanted to scold me after those incidents but you just couldn't bring yourself to do it! Well do it now then!" Sayori rebutted.

"Sayori, they do NOT hate you because of that, I promise! And I am not going to scold you because you were just looking out for the club! More than me even! How on Earth am i going to lecture you for that?!" Monika stood her ground. "Look at me; I did nothing! I let the two of them fight without intervening and it was Natsuki who amended their friendship, not me! I did nothing! Sayori, please! You are not the person you think you are! You are the most amazing and genuine person I've ever met! And if this James guy doesn't see it, then screw him! Ignore him! You don't need him in his life! If you forget about him, then all your rainclouds will go away, I promise! Sometimes holding on hurts more than letting go-no; All of the time! And trust me; I have had this happen to me before."

"R-Really?" Sayori wiped her nose. "Did something happen?"

"Oh it was just me and my freshman stupidity. You know me and Dean used to date right?"

"What?!" Sayori recoiled in shock. "You and Dean?! When?"

"Like I said; Freshman. Basically, after finale night he asked me out and after that we just, I don't know, got together? And my Freshman brain was to simple to realise he just did it to make himself look better among his batch."

"Ehehe...I can see why he chose you then..." Sayori joked.

"Ahaha...I guess I should be flattered, but when I found out he was only doing it for that reason, I was so heartbroken and depressed that a part of me still believed he was lying and that he truly loved me...Every day I would call him and the first few times he would just shrug it off and hang up after a while, but the fifth time he just blocked me. You could imagine I was quite devastated, right?"

"O-Oh my...th-that's terrible! I'm so sorry that happened to you Monika!"

"Oh no, I'm over it now. Besides; he found someone he actually loves, so...I guess I'm happy for him." Monika smiled sadly.

"Me too! I'm super happy for Yuri! B-But...what Dean did to you was horrible!" Sayori stated.

"I know. But the point is, when I finally accepted that Dean never loved me at all, it was like a weight was lifted off of my shoulders. No longer was I clinging on to some false hope; I was able to enjoy the rest of my sophomore year without any worries, my head cleared of Dean...and it was when I first met you! You still remember our first encounter?"

"Ehehe...I-I'm still sorry for that you know?" Sayori meekly put her index fingers together.

"Aww...And I still forgave you on the spot. Anyway, yeah. Now do you understand, Sayori? This James guy? Maybe forgetting about him will make you feel better. I know it's especially hard since he's from your childhood, but it'll be so much better once you do, trust me."

"F-Forget about it...huh?" Sayori thought to herself.

"Trust me Sayori...I've been down this road more times than just Dean..."

"I..." Sayori stammered. "I-I trust you Monika..."

"Okay..." Monika heaved a small sigh of relief, seeing as Sayori's mood seemed to have improved as much as hers.

"I-I'll...I'll keep what you said in mind, alright?"

"I trust that you will, Sayo." Monika smiled.

"Okay." Sayori blushed slightly. "I-I have to go to the bathroom for a while, okay? I need to clear this mess." Sayori laughed as she gestured towards her face.

"Ahaha, sure Sayori. Take as much time as you need, okay?" Monika smiled sweetly.

Sayori stood up from her desk and made her way over to her bathroom. Stepping into it, she looked at herself in the mirror. For once, there were no hallucinations or the lack of her reflection. It was just plain old Sayori starring back at her with puffy red eyes and stained cheeks.

"Out of my head...I need the thoughts out of my head..."

Monika's advice may have been slightly misinformed, but they worked pretty much the same way, just for a different person.

"Just...don't think about it...you'll be fine...You can fight this...You can forget about him...If he doesn't like you...so be it...You don't need him...Sigh...Okay."

Sayori switched on her tap and began rinsing her face; scrubbing her eyes and nose thoroughly.

"Ah..." The girl finally finished her wash and gasped for air. "Okay. I feel better now. Just forget all about it and it'll be fine. Sayori switched of the tap and stepped out of her bathroom, drying her face with toilet paper.

As she stepped back into her room, she noticed that Monika was no longer on her computer screen.

"Moni? Are you there?"

Upon further inspection, she noticed that while Monika's fan was on, there was no whirring sound coming from her speakers. She had muted her side of the call.

"What happened?" Sayori asked herself nervously. "No! Now is not the time to be discouraged! Happy thoughts! I have to trust Monika! I just have to forget all about-"

"Sayori?"

Sayori whirled around, and her heart immediately sank.

All the advice and stories Monika gave her were thrown out her bedroom window.

Forcing a smile, Sayori swallowed hard before greeting her visitor.

"Hi Anon."

...

"I-I have to go to the bathroom for a while, okay? I need to clear this mess." Sayori laughed as she gestured towards her face.

"Ahaha, sure Sayori. Take as much time as you need, okay?" Monika smiled sweetly.

As Sayori got up from her Computer, Monika decided to relax a bit. The previous day wasn't exactly stellar for her and night time was no better. Her coffee helped slightly, but what she needed right now was a good rest.

Leaning back onto her bed frame, Monika closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Some President I am...my own vice-president is having problems of her own and yet I'm having her ask ME if I'm okay...sigh..."

Monika massaged her neck slightly, but her tranquil setup was soon ruined by her front door slamming open, followed by the all too familiar screams.

"I already told you; we are not getting any more for our daughter!"

"But I'm telling you! Her performance this quartile wasn't good at all!"

"It was above her cohort's average! And for her Junior Year, getting these results is already more than enough!"

Not wanting Sayori to hear all the racket, Monika quickly hit the "Mute Call" button on her laptop and walked over to her bedroom door. As carefully as possible, the girl placed her right ear against it and held her breath.

"Above Average is NOT ENOUGH. Her teachers always told us Monika was a top student! A high-achiever! She got a B! A B! How is B classified as high-achieving?!"

"The block test was harder; I asked her Chemistry Teacher about it! Almost her entire class failed!"

"I don't care about her classmates! Why should we?! We should care about our own daughter and our own daughter is performing under par for her courses!"

"Moniri, will you PLEASE listen to me for once-!"

"No, YOU listen to me, Kagero! How can you allow this to happen to your daughter?! If you let a B slide, what if she gets a C next time?! Or fails?!"

"It was just a harder paper! Have more faith in your daughter for Christ's sake!"

"I am going to enrol her in more tuition and you are going to cancel her piano lessons! They are clearly distracting her from her studies!"

"Moniri-please! It will crush her!"

As Monika listened to the arguing man and woman from inside her room, her heart slowly sank lower and lower until tears started to blink in her eyes.

"M-Mom..! P-Please don't..." Monika whispered through her tears as she heard Moniri slowly walk upstairs to the second floor and into her room, which was just down the hall from Monika's own room. "M-Mom..." As Monika pressed on her ear harder, she could hear her mother rummaging around for something.

"Moniri! Stop!" She was soon followed by Kagero who also hurried upstairs. "Moniri!"

"Hi is this Mr. Miyogi? Yes, this is Moniri Akazawa, Monika's mother. Yes, I'm just calling to inform you that-"

"MOM NO!" Monika burst through her room door in front of her startled father and dashed straight to her parents' bedroom. "Mom, please! I-I will do better next time, I swear!" Monika pleaded in tears as her mother stood adamantly with her phone in her hand.

"I already warned you to buck up, Monika...and you disappointed me! How will I know that your results will not continue to degrade? Can you prove it to me?" Moniri asked her daughter sternly as Kagero joined the arguing women.

"My dear, please. Our daughter is already trying very hard...cancelling her piano lessons will only distract her further! She has been working hard for this since her very first lesson! We can't just cancel it now!" Kagero defended his daughter, only to earn a look of scorn from his wife.

"Well then that's up to our daughter then! Is she willing to work harder and balance her tuition time with her piano lessons? Because if she's not, I am going to have to cancel it so she can focus more on her studies." Moniri snapped back.

"Mom, I do not NEED tuition! I have been coping well without it for the whole of my high school life!" Monika tried reasoning with her mother, but it didn't work and Moniri only got angrier.

"Well, you are clearly NOT coping if your results have dropped so significantly. And it's not just Chemistry too; your Math and your Literature are also slipping! Are you okay? Do you need to step down from leadership activities?"

"Mom-No I'm FINE, okay?! I'm FINE!" Monika shouted through her tears as Kagero looked on in pity. Moniri, however, was still as livid as ever.

"NO YOU ARE NOT. YOU EITHER DO WELL FOR YOUR MIDTERMS OR YOU CAN SAY GOODBYE TO YOUR PIANO LESSONS!" The furious woman screamed, causing Monika to yelp in fear and her husband to look away.

"I WILL DO BETTER, I PROMISE! THE BLOCK TEST WAS JUST MORE CHALLENGING THIS TIME ROUND; I STILL DID BETTER THAN MOST OF MY-"

"DO NOT GIVE ME THAT SAME OLD EXCUSE. WHY ARE YOU COMPARING YOURSELF WITH YOUR CLASSMATES? IF THEY ALL GET AN F AND YOU GET A D, ARE YOU STILL ABLE TO GO TO A GOOD UNIVERSITY?!"

"ENOUGH!" Kagero roared, silencing the two women. "Monika, go back to your room; your mother and I will discuss this much more thoroughly-"

"THERE ISN'T MUCH TO DISCUSS!" Moniri interrupted Kagero and went back to her phone. "Hello? Mr Miyogi? Yes, I was just going to inform you that we have decided to-"

"MOM STOP!" Monika reached in and grabbed Moniri's arm, trying to pry her phone from her grasp.

"LET GO, YOU BRAT! LET...GO!"

"WILL YOU TWO STOP ALREADY?!" Kagero tried to intervene, but it was too late. With a sudden burst of strength, Monika successfully pulled Moniri's phone away. However, Monika wasn't in the clear yet.

-SMACK-

"AH!"

Monika recoiled in pain after a tight slap on her left cheek. A burning sensation erupted through her face and the heartbroken girl could no longer take it.

"I HATE YOU!" Monika screamed in tears at her mother and stormed back into her room.

"LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE." Monika could distinctly hear her father's booming voice from behind her parents' bedroom door as she slammed it shut. Hurrying back to her room, Monika locked her own door and curled up onto her bed, bawling her eyes out.

"Sniff...sniff...UGH! Sniff..." The deflated girl reached for her box of tissues and began wiping her tears, only for more to come pouring out again as she continued sobbing. "Wh-why is...WHY CAN'T I EVER GET A BREAK?!" The girl wailed into her pillow.

"How come you suddenly wanted to come over today?"

"H-Huh?"

As Monika looked up, her makeup completely drenched and stained, it soon dawned on her that while she had muted her side of the call, she hadn't muted Sayori's, and noises were still coming from her side.

"Oh crap...Scoff-Of course I would be stupid enough to not mute her side too..." Monika moved over to her laptop to mute Sayori's side of the call, but upon seeing Sayori's side of the call, Monika realised someone else was in her room.

"Aren't you supposed to see Natsuki today?" Sayori asked the mystery person, her back blocking Monika's view. However, it didn't take a genius to figure out who exactly this person was.

"Yeah, but..." The "mystery" person said. "...Wait, how did you know that?"

"Monika texted me on Friday. It's only natural for her to keep me informed about the festival preparations, right?" Sayori replied casually.

"I...I probably shouldn't eavesdrop on their conversation..." Monika ultimately decided and hung up the call, but not before messaging Sayori that she had done so.

"_Noticed Anon came over, so I hung up the call. Chat again later?"_

"That should do it..." Monika thought to herself before closing her eyes and sinking into her pillow again.

...

...

...

"Monika..?"

"Go away!"

"...Sigh..."

Two hours after the piano fiasco, Monika was still silently recoating in her room. Her entire house had gone quiet; the only noises being the low hum of the air-conditioner generators and the neighbourhood birds swooping in for an evening rest.

The Akazawa parents had long since finished their argument, all the while Monika was lying down on her bed, trying her damndest to tune the angry shouts away.

"Monika...Will you let your old man in...? It's just me..."

Monika felt her stomach knot up. The last thing she needed right now was another talking to by her mother, so was up to her to trust her father.

Monika got up from the bed and slowly walked towards her room door.

"Y-You promise..? Please promise me it's just you..." Monika's voice shaked.

"...It's just me, Moni...I promise...I cross my heart..."

Monika tensed up. Hearing that phrase at a time like this was-

"Come in Dad..." Monika held the door open for her father, who looked like he'd been doing some crying of his own. Kagero walked in awkwardly and stared around the room, while Monika headed straight back to her bed and sat on it, looking down onto her floor sadly. Kagero soon joined her.

"How are you doing?" The brown-haired man asked patiently. Monika looked dejectedly at her father.

"She made the call, didn't she?"

"...Yes...I tried to convince her not to; I really did...It's just...your mother..; Sometimes, she's inconvincible. She probably made up her mind before the two of us even got home now that I think about it; all those words I said in the car probably stayed in the car..."

"It's okay Dad...It's not your fault..." Monika croaked weakly, still not looking up.

"...Sigh...It's no one's fault. Your mother...She just wants the best for you...and her way of doing that is...different...from everyone else's; but that doesn't take away any merit at all...You may think she's unreasonable...but the whole grade thing...she's seen it all before with her younger brother..."

"How's..." Monika stuttered. "...H-How's Uncle doing?"

"He's..." Kagero looked away sadly. It was almost as if he wanted nothing to do with his brother. "...He's alive..."

"Well, if Mom thinks I'm going to end up like Uncle over one stupid Block Test, she is DEAD wrong!" Monika argued.

"I know you won't, my daughter." Kagero assured the irate girl. "That isn't who you are. You won't let one minor setback ruin the rest of your life, right? Because you're strong and determined and you are just...so amazingly talented at everything! You work hard, you're disciplined; and I think your mother does see that; she's just worried that the day it all goes away might be any day from now...Your uncle was as tough as you...but one slipup and it all went downhill."

"But I'm not like that!" Monika protested, but her father quickly hushed her.

"I know you aren't, Monika. So it's up to you to prove to your mother that you aren't and will not be like your uncle."

"I don't know if I can do that anymore..." Monika admits, sounding defeated and demoralised. However, her father had other ideas.

"Don't say that, Monika. She's proud of you; I promise. I already told you, she's just worried-"

"But I don't want her to be worried! I want her to know it! And I can't! Everything I do...It's never enough! Everything leads to worry! I just want her to not worry anymore!" Monika cried, tears starting to form once again.

"Just give her time!" Kagero tried to reassure Monika, but it didn't seem to work as Monika gradually evolved from light sniffing to and all out bawl. "...Jesus..." Kagero rubbed the top of his head as he looked on at his daughter hugging her pillow, which was now soaked in tears, as tight as she could. "Come here you..." Kagero extended his arms, to which Monika dove right in and cried into his shoulder.

"I...sniff...I just want her to stop worrying! E-Everything I-I've done...sniff...it just...d-doesn't seem to work! I-I...sniff...I can n-never make her...h-h-ha-happy!"

"You made me happy...you made me happy..." Kagero whispered gently into the crying girl's eyes while calmly stroking her brown hair. "...And I promise you...she will too...You just need to give her some time, okay?"

"Okay...sniff...I-I will..."

"That's my girl...In the meantime; just continue working hard for your exams, alright? But not too hard, of course. Just don't get too distracted."

"I-I will Dad...sniff..." Monika released herself from the hug and wiped away her tears.

"You want anything to drink? Anything to cool you off?" Kagero asked as he got up from the bed and walked over to the door.

"Sniff...A refill of this would be nice...And is there any cake left?"

"We bought cheese tarts."

"That'll do, thank you."

Monika gave a light smile to her father as he calmly exited the room. Once outside, Kagero turned to the staircase to find Moniri sitting on it, the expression on her face telling him everything.

"You listened, didn't you?" Kagero folded his arms.

"She is NOT like my brother...The nerve of her to even COMPARE herself to him..."

"Well, you made her feel this way, dear." Kagero said sadly as he walked over to her.

"I just-! I just don't want her to be distracted! Remember when she dated Dean? She was so convinced that they were in love yet she never even invited him over to our house for dinner! And almost every day she would be out late partying with him, drinking with him...And we just let her! And then when they broke up...Her results just tanked! This is why I don't want her to get involved in anything non-academic related!"

"You were too hard on her...Cancelling her piano?! That was her way of relieving stress! If anything, that was the one thing that stopped her from getting distracted by her friends, or the television, or her phone! Every time she finishes playing, she heads right back to work! And work she does!"

Moniri looked sadly into Kagero's eyes. The man could tell just by the eye bags that this was as difficult for the mother as it was for the daughter.

"...How's she ever going to forgive her mother now..?" Moniri looked away; heartbroken and at a loss.

"She will. It's...just going to take some time...I know you're just doing this for her own good...but maybe we should cool things of a bit and let her speak for herself and prove she IS able to stay committed."

"...Okay..." Moniri finally relented with a sigh, while Kagero came over and sat on the step next to her.

"Okay." The man smiled and the woman leaned her head onto his shoulder.

"Remember that time Lisa flunked her Social Studies paper and for one whole week she just got so angry over the littlest thing? She couldn't focus in class and the teachers got genuinely concerned she wasn't able to advance?"

"Ahaha..." Moniri laughed as her eyes drifted up to the ceiling, remembering the wacky antics of her classmates back when she was in high school. "You and I had to hold her down to a chair and walk her through her schoolwork...And we took shifts keeping watch over her to make sure she didn't use her phone..."

"...And I had to buy a cup of coffee from the canteen every morning just to keep her awake..." Kagero too was starting to reminisce over his high school days. "I was so annoyed, but you were so determined to help her..."

"That was because I owed her...Without her, I have absolutely no idea where I would be right now...I'd have no friends...nothing to do besides go home, study and sleep...And I would have never met you..." Moniri turned to face Kagero, her eyes narrowing with seduction.

"Jesus...You are and have always killed me with that look..." Kagero looked down at Moniri's lips.

"Lisa thought me that; add that to the list of reasons why I did what I did to help her..."

"And she thought you well, I must say." Kagero laughed as the parents locked lips for a good few seconds.

"Ah...sniff...Whatever happened to Jon anyway?" Kagero asked as he finally released himself from the kiss.

"Sniff...I have zero idea...The last I heard from Lisa was a few months after he disappeared. God-She'd probably hate me if she saw what I have become...I'm a monster now..."

"Hey." Kagero squeezed his wife's shoulders. "Get rid of that thought."

"I know I know...Still though; she'd probably be mortified." Moniri playfully brushed her husband's strong arms off of her shoulder. "Anyway...You should probably go and get her coffee..; She's gonna get suspicious of why you're taking so long."

"Alright then...You want anything as well? Cheese tart?"

"Ugh-I could kill for one right now, thank you." Moniri said graciously as she massaged her aching shoulders.

"Two cheese tarts and a coffee, coming right up!" Kagero grinned as he walked down the stairs, leaving Moniri on the highest step, alone.

"Oh Lisa...I wonder how you are doing now..."

...

"Ah, that's true..." Anon replied rather awkwardly and was followed by an even more awkward silence. It wasn't at all what he expected in front of someone he had known for over ten years. "But what about you? Aren't you supposed to be helping Monika?"

"Of course." Sayori noted. "But I'm just helping her online. We didn't plan to meet up or anything."

"Ah." Anon replied after seeing Sayori's computer behind her, not knowing that Monika had only just disconnected. "So it's just me and Natsuki, then..."

"Yep." Sayori smiled.

More silence. As Anon shifted uncomfortable in his spot, Sayori looked in a random direction, her smile quickly fading. A nervous Anon finally decided enough was enough and walked up to the downcast girl.

"I just...wanted to see how you were doing..." Anon put his right hand on Sayori's slumped shoulder. "After you left on Friday...Wh-when something's wrong...you can't hide it from me! I know you too well."

"Why did you have to come..?" Sayori muttered.

"Eh? What did you say?" Anon leaned closer.

"N-Nothing...I-I'm fine, Anon! I already told you; you don't have to worry about me!" Sayori hurriedly dismissed the dumfounded boy, but that only made him even more concerned.

"Sayori, look. I know that something happened to you, okay? That day where you just told me to leave and talk to everyone else; that wasn't like you at all! If something happened, you have to tell me okay? I have to know what's going on with my best friend; I can't be left in the dark here! And until I know, I won't be able to stop thinking about it!" The distressed boy squeezed Sayori's shoulder reassuringly, but all it managed was a light shrug from the girl.

"Oh Anon...that's...th-that's not good at all..." Sayori said with a rather merry tone, sending a chill down Anon's spine. "If...If I didn't get so weak and accidentally express my feelings...I-If I didn't make that stupid mistake...then you wouldn't have been worried about me at all...Y-You wouldn't even have come here...You wouldn't even be thinking about me right now. Maybe...maybe that's my punishment. It's my fault for being so selfish, isn't it? Maybe that's why you're here; It's the world wanting to punish me for all my mistakes. It just...wants to torture me...ehehe!" Sayori ended with a gleeful laugh, but all it did was send Anon into a state of complete panic.

The boy's hair stood on end and his face went pale. Sweat started beading out of his neck.

"S-Sayori!" Anon grabbed Sayori's shoulders and shook them violently, jerking her out of her trance. "Wha...what the fuck are you even saying?! Are you listening to yourself?! What the fuck is all this about torture?! Who's torturing you?!"

"N-No one!" Sayori angrily brushed Anon's hands off, only for them to bounce right back, this time with twice as much force.

"Then what in God's name are you saying?!" The boy's eyes were wide with fear and he had an almost manic expression his face. "I came here because you're my friend and I'm worried about you! I'm not here to torture you Sayori!"

"And it's my fault for that. I made you worried when you could be spending time with Natsuki...And the universe decided to send you over to punish me for that." Sayori replied nonchalantly.

"No-STOP." Anon stated firmly. "I don't want to hear that word come out of your mouth ever again, you hear me? Not that word, not "Torture", not "Selfish", do you understand? You are NOT selfish and you sure as hell don't deserve to be punished."

"But I do..." Sayori replied casually.

"No you don't. Now, please tell me what's wrong, PLEASE." Anon begged frantically. "I KNOW something happened to you; on Friday most likely...There's no other explanation for you to be like this, so just tell me already! Sayori, I'm begging you. This cannot go on."

Sayori looks Anon in the eye for a few seconds with a blank expression on her face, before giving him an empty smile. "Ahaha...You really put me in a trap here Anon...I guess it's what I deser-"

"No-No "Deserve" either, okay?" Anon interrupted Sayori's self-loathing statement.

"..." Sayori bit her lip. "Okay...But you're wrong."

"Wrong how?"

"Nothing happened to me. Well, apart from what happened with Mio, but that's not the main point. The main point is, I've always been like this...you're just seeing it for the first time."

"Seeing what? What am I seeing, Sayori?" Anon looked deep into Sayori's eyes, and for the first time since Friday, there was a slight sparkle in them, for better or worse.

"Ehehe...you REALLY want me to say it huh? I guess I have no choice...The thing is..." Sayori took a deep breath. "...I have had really bad depression my whole life." The girl gave Anon a few seconds to soak it all in. At first, his expression was the same old confused and blur Anon expression, but after a while his face slowly morphed into one of disbelief and then into one of concern and despair. "Yeah." Sayori confirmed Anon's thought. "Why do you think I'm late to school every day? Because most days, I can't even find a reason to get out of bed. What even is the point of getting up? I just want to close my eyes and sleep forever, but I can't just skip school...so I pretty much drag myself there every day. What's the point of doing anything if I know how fucking worthless I am? Why should I go to school, or study, or eat? Why make other people put their energy and caring to waste by having them spend it on me?" As Sayori says that last part, she looks deeply into Anon's eyes. The boy is still completely lost for words. "That's…that's what it feels like. That's why I want to make everyone happy, without anyone worrying about me…"

Anon's mouth hung ajar. His eyes were starting to twitch, but the despaired boy tried his best to remain composed. All the while Sayori simply stood in front of him, her eyes fixated on the boy's mouth, waiting for him to say something.

"Now it all makes sense..." Anon finally says, putting his hands on his hips.

"What makes sense?" Sayori asked.

"Why you told me to go play with everyone else... what you were feeling? You didn't want to me...to be worried?"

"Yeah...and I guess I failed at that too huh..." Sayori laughed emptily.

"No, Sayori PLEASE don't say that. It's my own fault for not minding my own business anyway." Anon grew worried once more, only for Sayori to shrug him off.

"It's okay Anon...It's not your fault for worrying about me when I'm the one who was-" Sayori stopped after seeing Anon raise an eyebrow. "I...You shouldn't be wasting your energy on me..."

"Well, why wouldn't you want that?" Anon asked, completely bewildered.

"You don't understand a damn thing, do you?" Sayori asked with a hint of annoyance.

"I don't understand why you would keep this from me! I almost feel...Never mind; I almost said something horrible, but still! What's making you keep this from me, or the girls? Does Monika know?"

"Monika doesn't know shit." Sayori stated flatly. "And I would like to keep it that way; having one of your close friends know about this is bad enough already. I don't want to be cared about, Anon. Sometimes it feels nice knowing people like you DO care, but most of the time it feels like a bat is swung against my head. Why do you think I so desperately wanted you to join and make friends with everybody? At this point, seeing everyone in the club happy is what's best for me and even then, somehow I couldn't even be happy with that. Because seeing you get closer with everyone in the club..." Sayori's voice started to shake. "It...It just feels like a spear going through my heart! Everything that happens; whatever choices I make, they end up hurting me anyway! And that's why I've decided that the world just wants to torture me; I know you told me not to say that word, but that's what it feels like: Torture; like everything I do slaps me in my stupid face!"

Sayori finished her rant with tears brimming in her eyes, but rather than looking miserable and sad, it was more of a look of anguish and anger.

"Sayori I..." Anon stuttered, struggling to find the right words, if there were even any, for the situation he was in. "...Sayori..." Now it was Anon's turn to tear up. Watching his friend just break down like that in a way he had never seen before, plus now knowing that this had probably happened to her many times in the past before, and WITHOUT him knowing, something about it just completely broke his spirit.

"Sayori...I am so sorry that you are going through all this...and I am truly, deeply and utterly sorry I didn't do a damn thing about it...and that I didn't notice it...And you know what, I think I do understand it after all. I may not know what it feels like...and I won't pretend that I do...but as long as you are feeling the same way that you just described to me...I-I will be by your side...You don't...you don't have to fight this alone..."

"Who says I want to fight it?" Sayori rebutted. "The only thing that will help me, since you're so INSISTENT that I need help..."

"No, Sayori that's not what I-"

"...if is everything could be like it always was. But I was...SELFISH!" Sayori pulled away angrily, tears now free flowing down her cheeks. "I finally showed you what a horrible person I am! I made you join the Literature Club because I was selfish! And that's what I get; nothing but hurt! A-And now, you're here and y-you're hurt too." Sayori started snivelling more and more; the words no longer coming out of her mouth as fast. "...A-And...I-I...I'm j-just...sniff...w-weak...a-and...And th-that's why I am going to accept all these punishments! B-Because I deserve every last one...!"

"SAYORI, ENOUGH!" Anon forcefully grabbed Sayori's shoulders and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"LET GO OF ME!" Sayori screamed, desperately trying to break free.

"NO!"

"LET GO OF ME!"

"NO!" Anon held as tightly as he could, preventing the broken girl from escaping his hug.

"L-Let go of...l-let go..." Sayori continued struggling, until her strength finally gave way and her body went limp in Anon's arms.

"Sayori..." Anon whispered softly after sensing Sayori had somewhat calmed down. "Let me tell you this right now...I don't know how you could ever, EVER, think that inviting me to the Literature Club was selfish...You may feel that you are, but you are not. I may have made friends with the other girls...but don't forget the reason I even accepted the invite: You. Seeing you in the club every day...hanging out again...it's just...a magical feeling and nothing about it is selfish. Please..." As Anon's grip tightened, he was starting to get nervous that Sayori wasn't hugging him back.

Did he say something wrong?

"A-Anon..." Sayori sputtered; out of breath from her sobbing. "N-No...P-Please d-don't do this to me..."

"Sayori...I know that you don't want to feel this way...And I don't know, maybe what I'm doing right now counts towards that, but I don't care. I don't even care about me anymore." Anon put his hands back onto Sayori's shoulders. "Right now, the priority is you and making sure YOU are okay...You said you feel selfish, right? You aren't, and here's why: Would a selfish person got out of their way to talk to someone they haven't talked to in years just to get them to join their club and hopefully make friends and not be a loser anymore? You could have just picked any old person to join the club, but you picked me even while knowing I had zero interest in Literature. And the entire first day I was there, you only wanted to make me feel comfortable and at home, because I barely knew any of the girls! So there should be no reason why you should think you are selfish or deserve any punishments, okay? And no matter what it takes, I will make sure you know that you aren't selfish at all...I will get those nasty thoughts out of your head...Because you don't need them...You don't need those thoughts..."

Sayori looked at Anon. She still looked unsure, but to Anon's relief, at least she wasn't a complete meltdown anymore. "I don't know..." the girl muttered.

Anon held his breath.

"I don't know...I don't know anything...It's all really scary…I don't understand my own feelings, Anon…the only time I'm not feeling nothing is when I'm feeling pain…" Sayori slowly wrapped around Anon. The boy was still too scared to say anything; He wasn't out of the woods yet.

"But…"

Anon's grip tightened. While Sayori was slowly collecting her words, Anon could only hope and pray that everything, or at the very least something at all would be resolved.

"Your hugs are so warm…"

"Okay…That's a good start…" Anon thought while sweat beaded down his forehead.

"And that's really scary too…"

"No no no…don't go there…" The boy started sweating more.

To his surprise, instead of continuing to talk, Sayori simply lets go of the hug and stares at him. Her empty eyes were now replaced with a look of…hope? Anon couldn't tell what that expression was, but at least it wasn't anguish, despair, or anything in that department.

"The festival's tomorrow, right?" Anon asked, sensing it was finally fit to move on.

"Yeah…" Sayori says without much excitement.

"It's gonna be fun, right? Oh who am I kidding; with you around, it'll definitely be fun!" Anon smiled and to his absolute relief, the girl finally smiled back. It wasn't big or passionate or anything, but a smile's a smile.

"Yeah." Sayori nodded. "It will…"

"Yeah…I mean that, by the way; I'm gonna spend the entire festival, minus club time of course, with none other than my childhood friend Sayori. How's that sound?"

"U-Um…" Sayori seemed unsure, but Anon was insistent.

"It will be fun, I promise. It's perfect for getting rid of your thoughts…Plus…free food?"

That seemed to do the trick.

"I…I think that would be nice then…" Sayori smiled again and nodded.

"Yeah…" Anon nodded as well before checking his watch. "Ah…Right…"

"Hm? What is it? O-Oh…" Sayori was confused at first, but soon realized what it was.

"Yeah…Heh…of all days, this would be the one where I have plans…M-Maybe I should cancel-"

"No don't!" Sayori interrupted the torn boy. "Please don't…If you did that…I really wouldn't forgive you…And I'm pretty sure Natsuki won't either…"

"But…It's almost time for…You know, maybe you can come with me and help out! It'll be fun! I'm sure Natsuki doesn't mind the-"

"I'm sorry…" Sayori shakes her head sadly, much to the boy's surprise and disappointment. "I don't know if that would be very good for me today…You-You understand right?"

"Well, I'm still trying to…This is all…Natsuki did say I'm kind of an idiot so…"

"It's okay…Don't worry too much about it. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Sayori tried her best to keep her currently positive mindset, but it definitely took away most of her energy.

"Okay…I look forward to it. And to seeing you. So…see you…tomorrow…" Anon bid farewell in his signature awkward style.

"Ehehe…See you!" Sayori waved goodbye as Anon slowly exited her room, closing the door behind him gently.

"…"

The room turned quiet once more. Sayori was left standing in the middle of her room by herself with no one except her thoughts by her side.

"Why did you have to come…" Sayori asked the still air around her, before remembering the most important thing. "Oh crap-!"

Sayori spun around. All this time, her back had been blocking her computer webcam, but there was still a chance Monika could have seen the entire thing go down.

"Oh? It seemed like she disconnected…" Sayori noted as the empty Skype chat greeted her. "There's no way she would…No, no way, right? Monika wouldn't…"

As Sayori exited her Skype, she sat down on her swivel chair and closed her eyes.

Thoughts…

Sayori had no more energy to go anywhere or do anything, so she was left alone with her thoughts.

What were her thoughts currently? Positive? Negative? Happy? Sad?

Sayori took a few deep breaths.

To her surprise, they were kind of…happy? Not ecstatic or anything like that, but happy.

"Th-the festival…will be fun…" Sayori finally says to herself as she opened her eyes. There wasn't much in them, but there was a small, minute, miniscule amount of hope and determination in them. Maybe, just maybe, she could get through this. "For Anon…For me…For Mom…" The awakened girl said to herself much more firmly this time.

"It will be fun…I know it…"

Nodding to herself, Sayori got up from her chair and walked over to her window. As she peered out, she could see Anon just leaving her house and walking onto the roadside. As he looked up, he gave a big smile to Sayori and a wide wave. This time, Sayori felt good enough to return it.

"Bye!" She mouthed. Anon did the same thing before heading back to his house.

Sayori returned to her room. Her stuffed animals were all smiling at her.

"It will be fun."

Sayori stared at her stuffed cow aggressively.

"It will be fun!"

…

"Ah-!"

As the afternoon reached its peak, Yuri was alone in her bedroom, finishing the final touches of her banner. Scattered around her room were hundreds of origami cranes which she would later tie on a string to hang over the clubroom door.

"Why, what happened?"

Well, she wasn't totally alone. Natsuki had planned to meet Anon at his house at two-thirty; right now it was just approaching twelve-forty-five and Natsuki had just come out of her shower. The whole morning the two girls were in a Skype call after Natsuki found out that Sayori and Monika were doing the same thing and though Yuri was relatively new to the whole video call thing, she quickly got used to it and was actually having fun.

"Nothing…I just accidentally cut myself again…" Yuri scrambled to her roll of toilet paper and tore off a small square, wrapping it around her finger. "I'm gonna go get another band-aid, okay?"

"Sure, sure." Natsuki waved Yuri off as she wrapped her pink towel around her damp hair. Yuri didn't take too long and she was back in her room with a plaster around her middle finger in no time. "Hey, you need to be more careful, you know?" Natsuki lectured the injured girl. "That's like the second time you've cut your finger today."

"A-ah…" Yuri's face turned red as she quickly hid her left arm behind her back. "S-Sorry…"

"And that's another thing I forget to tell you yesterday; you need to stop apologizing so much! Sometimes I hear you apologizing when it's not even your fault! Apologizing continuously just makes you look meek and easy to push around, but that's not you at all, Yuri!" Natsuki ranted, while Yuri nervously pulled on her hair.

"I-I do? Uuu…I-I didn't really mean too…S-Sorry…I-I mean!"

"Pfft-Ahahaha! Goodness me; look how red you're getting!" Natsuki laughed heartily upon seeing Yuri's heavily red face through her webcam. "Tell you what; do you have any like jars or anything like that?"

"Um…I think I do…Yes, here's one." Yuri said as she dug out a rather old looking Snapple jar from underneath her desk. "I used this to keep my pens before getting an actual pencil holder. Erm, why do you need it?"

"Here's the deal: Every time we have a call and you apologize unnecessarily, you're gonna put in a hundred yen coin into the jar. The same goes for me; whenever I rage at you for no reason, you'll help put a hundred yen coin into the jar for me and I'll pay you when I come over to your house; that sound cool?"

Yuri thought to herself for a moment before smiling sweetly. "Why yes, Natsuki! That does sound rather intriguing, uhuhu!"

"Ha! Like I said; my ideas are always the best!" Natsuki grinned proudly, while Yuri dropped a coin into the apology jar. "Huhu! They are, aren't they?" Yuri happily agreed and knelt back down onto the floor.

"Hey, do you think I could see that banner of yours?" Natsuki perked up.

"U-Umm…sure…" Yuri gingerly held up her banner for the pink-haired girl to see. TO her amazement, it was one of the most beautiful banners she had ever seen; the delicate calligraphy words inked onto it, plus a mesmerizing orange gradient that turned redder towards the top; it was enough to keep her mouth open for a good minute.

"N-Natsuki! Wh-what's with that face?" Yuri chortled, clearly bemused.

"Nothing-It's just…Holy crap Yuri; that banner's amazing!" Natsuki proclaimed in awe, her eyes still as wide as ever.

"Ah…It's nothing really…" Yuri smiled bashfully at Natsuki's compliment.

"Nothing?! What do you mean nothing?! This is bound to attract everyone to the club for sure! It's amazing! You're amazing!"

"O-Oh my!" Yuri's face heated up even more as she looked away, but Natsuki could tell she was smiling underneath all that blush.

"Wow! Jesus!" Natsuki exclaimed, still awestruck by the banner. "Well, prepare to meet your match; because after today, my cupcakes are gonna blow your banner out of the park!"

"Oh, we'll see about that." Yuri laughed.

As Yuri carefully placed the banner back down onto her floor, Natsuki walked over to her desk drawer and begin pulling out a makeup case.

"Oh, is that makeup, Natsuki?" Yuri asked inquisitively.

"Yep! Gonna wear it for later." Natsuki stated as she dug out a brush from her pouch.

"A-Ah…I see…" Yuri looked down, slightly troubled.

"Hm? What's wrong?"

"Well, I was thinking about wearing makeup of my own for later as well…B-But…I-I'm not so sure now…" Yuri said.

"And why's that?" Natsuki asked, applying some blush on her cheeks.

"It's just…I mean, I have put on makeup in the past…b-but…Wh-what if Dean doesn't like it?" Yuri clutched her chest, clearly worried about her evening date.

"Oh come on; Dean will LOVE it; I promise. He loves you a lot, doesn't he?" Natsuki raised an eyebrow, switching to her right cheek.

"E-Erm…y-yes…"

"Well, then he will definitely love it, even if it's not your best!" Natsuki reassured her friend through the computer screen. "You know what; One of these days, I'm gonna come over and we'll just have one big massive makeup day; that sound good?"

"I-I…I would like that, yes…" Yuri timidly played with her hair.

"Alright! I can't wait!" Natsuki grinned as she moved on to her lipstick. "So, are you nervous?"

"I-! I suppose I am slightly nervous…" Yuri admitted.

"Hey that's fine. I'm frikin' nervous as well. But don't worry so much, alright? You and Dean are perfect together!" Natsuki smiled brightly at Yuri, which seemed to ease her nerves a bit.

"O-Oh…Th-thank you, Natsuki." Yuri smiled graciously. "And so do you a-and Anon…"

"E-Eh?!" Natsuki grew wide-eyed. "Hmph! You don't know anything, so you should just keep your mouth shut!"

"I-I didn't mean to insult you! I-I'm sorry…" Yuri quickly apologized, but was relieved to find out that Natsuki was only joking.

"Hehe! That's another one for the apology jar!"

"UUU!" Yuri groaned, but slid another coin into the jar nonetheless. "Erm…have fun Natsuki…"

"Gee thanks. And you too Yuri! Just don't get…too fun…"

"A-Ah! Wh-what are you saying?!"

"HEHEHE! Look at you getting all flustered! You big pervert!" Natsuki teased, causing Yuri to blush out of embarrassment.

"W-we…we didn't…"

"I know, I know…I was only teasing…But yeah, have a good dinner with him, alright? I have to go now; I still need to prepare some stuff for later."

"I-I see…" Yuri nodded, slightly disappointed that her chat with Natsuki was going to be over. "I-I guess I'll see you tomorrow..?"

"Yep! Bye Yuri!" Natsuki grinned as she reached for her computer mouse and ended her side of the call.

"B-Bye…" Yuri said to her black screen. As she looked down at her progress, her heart started to beat faster as she thought about her dinner date. Could this be it? Could this be the night she was always dreaming of?

Yuri clutched her chest tightly, her heart pounding madly. "Hoo…breathe Yuri…don't let Dean see you like this…"

"Yeah. Don't let him see you like the freak that you really are."

"Hm…I don't think so." Yuri replied casually. "You don't have any power anymore and Dean and I are going to have a great time!"

"Is that so? Wait till he finds out about your scars…"

"Huhu! That's funny! Nothing you say can stop me from going out on this date; Dean loves me, Natsuki and I have made up and we're closer than ever!" Yuri confidently stated.

"Hmph. Well, don't say I didn't warn you, Yuri."

With that, Yuri turned back to her desk, her makeup lying in front of her. "Hoo…you can do this Yuri…you can do this…" After a small pep talk, Yuri nodded to herself and picked up a powder brush. "Let's do this!"

…

**End of Chapter Twelve**


	13. Chapter 13: Lipstick

"Come on...get the goddamn paper on...god-ARGH!"

Shinzo crushed his second attempt at wrapping paper into a crumply ball.

"...Sigh...If only there was someone who could help me; oh wait-she's out right now! Ugh...cool it Shinzo, cool it; you don't want to wake your little parfait girl up, do you?"

The disgruntled man reached for another sheet of wrapping paper. This time, instead of bears and Christmas trees, this one had spiders hanging from Christmas ornaments.

"The fuck kinda sick fuck would design something like this? No way am I using you..." Shinzo tossed the wrapping paper aside for another one; this time one decorated with cute little cupcakes. "That's better..."

Out of nowhere, Shinzo's watch started beeping.

"Oh. That means it's Natsuki's birthday! Oh my little girl...Do we have a trip planned for you...Now we just have to wait for your mother to come back."

Shinzo then returned back to wrapping his daughter's present and within a few minutes, he finally finished and placed the neatly wrapped gift under the Christmas tree.

"It's getting kinda late...How come she's not back yet?"

Shinzo walked over to his front door and opened it. He was greeted by the cold midnight air, the quiet darkness and the mild chirping of crickets.

"Brr...She must be so cold right now...Ah I knew I should have followed her, but she is one insistent woman..."

-BZZT-

"Oh shit...err...hello?" Shinzo held his cell phone up to his ear. "Yes, this is him speaking...I...what? WHAT?! ALRIGHT I'M COMING."

Shinzo rushed back into his apartment as quickly as he hung up. Grabbing his winter jacket, he swiped his keys, locked the front door and sprinted down the corridor as fast as his legs could carry him.

"No no no no no no no...NO NO NO!"

Not waiting for the lift, Shinzo threw himself into the stairwell and rushed down the stairs three steps at the time, four steps at a time, eventually just jumping the entire flight until he finally reached the bottom. Stopping to catch his breath, he swiftly resumed his run.

And he ran.

And he ran.

And he ran.

...

...

...

"Good morning, everyone!"

It was a silent December morning. Natsuki had just woken up and being the little energetic girl that she was, she pretty much exploded out of her room and ran straight to the Christmas tree. To her surprise, the front door was open and her father was sitting on the step, facing outside.

"Good morning Dad!" Natsuki gleefully greeted her father, but he didn't seem to hear her. "GOOD MORNING DAD!" Natsuki tried again, this time even louder.

"SHUT UP!" Shinzo suddenly roared, scaring Natsuki.

"AH! D-Dad?! Wh-what's wrong?" Natsuki asked warily. As Shinzo got up and turned around, Natsuki got the biggest scare of her life.

Her father's eyes were bloodshot and sunken. Heavy eye bags sat underneath them. He wasn't anything like the tough and dorky family man she knew.

But more than that, his eyes displayed a type of rage Natsuki had never seen before, even at his angriest moments. His lip started to quiver and his fists were clenched up and trembling and that was when Natsuki realised...

"D-Dad? Wh-where's M-Mom?"

"Gone...She's...GONE!" Shinzo flew into a fit of raged and lunged at his daughter. The poor girl yelped and made a beeline back to her room, slamming the door behind her, locking it and using all of her strength to push her desk in front of it.

"COME OUT! COME OUT OF THERE YOU LITTLE BITCH! IT WAS YOU! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT! ALL OF IT! COME OUT OF THERE!" Shinzo relentless pounded on the bedroom door, but there was no getting in; not with the state that he was in. All the while Natsuki curled up into a ball on her bed, crying her eyes out, not sure what on Earth just happened and who the hell possessed her father.

"JUST FUCKING COME OUT...AHAHA...sniff...NATSUNE..." Shinzo wailed one last time before the pounding finally stopped. Natsuki stayed glued to her bed; she didn't dare unlock her door in fear out what it may bring.

All day long she waited in her room for her mother to come and rescue her; to bring her out safely, somewhere far away from here...

...But she never came...

...

"A-Ah...I guess I'm done..."

Yuri set down her powder brush and stared at herself in the mirror. This time, her reflection didn't say a word or give a sinister smile; it just stared back at her with her mouth ajar.

"O-oh my...I guess I better clean this up before anyone sees..." Yuri was quickly taken back down to Earth after realising it was almost lunch time and she would have to go downstairs to eat. However, before she could even reach for her cloth, a squeaky voice from behind interrupted her.

"Hey Yuri, do you have a stapler I can borrow?"

"A-Ah!"

Yuri whirled around to see her younger sister standing there. The girl was initially shocked by Yuri's sudden reaction, but her face soon morphed into one of amusement after getting a good look at her older sister's face.

"Oh my God; is that makeup?!" Yuki could hardly control her laughter.

"Ah-! N-No! It-it's just-"

"Oh who are you kidding, Yuri? You got powder all over your face and you eyelashes are all done! And what's that smell?" Yuki started sniffing the air inside Yuri's room. It kind of smelled like...lavender?

"I-I don't smell anything! A-And..." Yuri tried to find an excuse for the products on her face, but gave up and hid her face instead. "Uuu..." The older girl groaned in embarrassment.

"Hahaha! Why are you all dolled up for? Is it for Dean again?" Yuki smirked as she saw her sister's face turn scarlet red.

"N-!" Yuri almost wanted to deny it, but figured that it would be too much hassle to explain it and relented. "...Yes..." The girl hung her head low.

"That's awesome! I like Dean!" Yuki chirped, which surprised Yuri slightly. All along, she had a feeling Yuki hated the young man, especially when he went all lovey dovey with her, but that certainly wasn't the case now. "Y-You do?" Yuri asked softly.

"Yeah! Well, I hate him for that stupid bet he wagered on Friday, but other than that; He's funny! He makes me laugh!" Yuki grinned and Yuri sensed and opportunity to finally get back at her.

"Is that so Yuki...Why; do you like him or something?"

"WHAT?!" Yuki's face turned pink, almost similar to how Natsuki starts blushing. "EW NO! I DON'T LIKE BOYS BECAUSE BOYS ARE GROSS! ECH!" Yuki made a bunch of gagging noises, but all it did was make Yuri giggle.

"Huhu! You sound exactly like Natsuki!" Yuri teased her younger sister.

"SH-SHUT IT! And I still don't like boys! They're smelly and gross!" Yuki folded her arms and pouted, but her expression soon softened up. "B-But not Dean...Dean isn't smelly..."

"I know, right? He just smells so nice; his perfume, his hair spray, everything!" Yuri happily agreed with her sister.

"And his big muscles...and his strong legs..." Yuki started to zone out as she listed a bunch more of Dean's body parts, but before she could get to...those... body parts, Yuri quickly interjected.

"A-And-! He's kind and understanding."

Yuki grumpily nodded.

"You like him, don't you?"

"Yeah..."

"Huhu! My little sister has a crush!"

"RRR! YOU LIKE HIM TOO, YOU STUPID!" Yuki shouted back, but it no longer seemed to scare Yuri as she simply laughed. "I do!" Yuri smiled. "I like him a lot! He's such a gentleman and he always knows the right thing to say; plus, he's a very good listener!"

"Boring..." Yuki rolled her eyes. "When I get a boyfriend, I'll make sure he's funny and makes me laugh! You're just lucky Dean is also funny, or you'll be stuck with a big old bore!"

"Well...you're right; Dean's also pretty funny, huh?"

"Yeah...he is..."

As Yuki walked into Yuri's room and sat on her bed, the older girl smiled. It was a long time since the two sisters spent any alone time together, and considering the age gap; it was surprising that they could even hold a conversation at all.

"How did you do it?" Yuki finally asked after a brief silence between the sisters.

"Do what?" Yuri asked.

"Get him to like you?" Yuri could tell that her younger sister was feeling slightly down and wanted to cheer her up, but didn't want to risk this bonding moment and decided that simply answering Yuki's question would be better for now.

"H-Honestly...I-I have no idea how I did it...Erm...I'm sure you know I'm not exactly the most popular girl in school..." Yuri looked at Yuki, who nodded. "...B-but...for some reason...Dean took interest in my book and for some reason...me...He seemed like he really enjoyed my company and we agreed to hang out during recess every day and, well...here we are today..."

"You're so lucky, big sis...Every day during recess, I go and play football with the boys...and I always end up as last pick. No boys want a girl on their team; they're too stupid to realise that we can be just as good as them!" As Yuki ranted, Yuri slowly started to remember he conversation with Dean back on Friday.

And as the sequence of events played back in her head, it soon dawned on her why she found Dean's story so odd.

"It's stupid, right?"

"H-Huh?" Yuri was snapped out of her epiphany.

"Boys are stupid for picking me last, right?" Yuki asked again.

"Y-Yes...it is..." Yuri nodded her head, painful memories of getting last pick replaying in her head from as far back as middle school. "B-But don't worry...I was last pick too." Yuri reassured her downcast sister. "I remembered very clearly the worst PE session of my life; It was sports modules and I was pushed into Captain's Ball since all the popular sports were already filled up...and the gym teacher wanted us to choose teams...and naturally it was between the most popular girl and the strongest boy...And when it came down to me...the girl didn't even want to look at me twice. In fact, I remember her grimacing when she realised she was left with me..."

"Really?! How did you deal with that?!" Yuki was completely bewildered at Yuri's general casualness to the situation.

"Well, I didn't really...I just swallowed my pride and played along...I ended up winning the game for them...but they didn't even thank me; they just praised the girl..."

"What?! That's stupid! But don't worry big sis, the two of us are gonna show them just how amazing we are!" Yuki cheered. Yuri was still thinking about the conversation with Dean, but she was at least happy that she managed to cheer her little sister up.

"Y-Yeah!" Yuri cheered as well, and both sisters shared a brief moment of laughter. "You'll find someone who's right for you, Yuki. I promise."

"Gee, thanks big sis!" Yuki smiled and the two sisters leaned in for a hug; something they haven't done in so long amidst all the bickering.

"But you know what, Yuri?" Yuki patted her big sister's elbow.

"Hm? What's that?"

"If you're gonna go on a date with Dean, you're gonna have to look much, MUCH better than that!"

"E-Eh? Wh-what's wrong with it?" Yuri nervously put her palm up to her cheek, but was reassured by a grinning Yuki.

"Nothing! You look so pretty! But we can do better! Allow the mistress of makeup to assist my fair maiden!" Yuki announced with a British accent.

"Ohoho! Why yes, my dear valet; do as you must to please the crown prince!" Yuri declared with a British accent of her own.

"Hahaha!"

"Huhuhu!"

"Let's do this!"

"Yeah!"

...

...

...

"Girls! Lunch is here! It's omelette rice so eat it quick or it will get cold!"

"Coming Mom!" Yuri and Yuki called out simultaneously.

"Hmm? That's odd...Why do they sound like-Oh my goodness! What were the two of you doing?!" Yuna's eyes grew wide the second she saw her daughters coming down the stairs.

"Yuri was putting on makeup for her dinner date with Dean, so I decided to help her and look! She decided to help me too!" Yuki squealed gleefully, her face powdered with blush and her eyes heavily smeared with purple eye shadow. Yuri too had heavy purple eye shadow and thick mascara, something Yuna had no idea she was capable of wearing.

"Wow...you two look gorgeous!" Yuna complimented her daughters, resulting in a blush from her oldest and a grin from her youngest. "Thanks Mom! Let's eat, Yuri!" Yuki gestured her sister over to the dining table and quickly tore into her omelette rice, while Yuna looked as she walked towards the kitchen. It was the first time in a very long time she had seen her daughters so close and honestly, it was starting to choke her up a bit.

"Mom?! Are you crying?!" Yuki's squeaky voice tore through the house.

"O-Oh! D-Don't mind me...sniff...I'm just so happy seeing the two of you being so close again." Yuna wiped her eyes as she tried composing herself. "You two have no idea how much your bickering has tired me over the years, huhu!"

"W-We're so sorry Mom..." Yuri quickly apologised.

"But that ends today! From now on, Yuri and I are best friends!" Yuki reached in and hugged her sister, maybe a little too close to her-

"Ah! Ahaha...th-that's enough, Yuki..." Yuri brushed her younger sister off in embarrassment. "But yeah! The arguing stops now!"

"And I'm so proud of the two of you...sniff...Oh come here girls!" Yuna stretched out her arms and the three women hugged it out for a good two minutes. "We love you Mom!" Yuki said, snuggled up in her mother's and her sister's arms.

"And I love you, my girls." Yuna whispered, while brushing both their hair. "Come on, our lunch isn't getting any warmer.

...

"I'm off Dad!"

Natsuki excitedly skipped over to the front door, each arm carrying two plastic bags, plus her schoolbag around her shoulders. It was finally time to go over to Anon's house and do some baking for the festival and as much as Natsuki didn't want to admit to herself, she was actually looking forward to it. She had even put on light makeup and pink lipstick; just on the off chance a guy like Anon would be into that sort of thing.

"Where are you going at this time?" Shinzo asked from the living room.

"Oh? Oh…To a friend's house! We're gonna bake some cupcakes for the school festival tomorrow."

"Friend? I thought you already went out with a friend yesterday?" Shinzo asked.

"I did...But this one's another friend! It's a girl again, so don't worry!" Natsuki lied, not wanting her father to get worked up.

"Well…okay…Have fun I guess…" Shinzo grunted and returned to his show.

"Will do…Bye Dad!"

"Actually, wait…Natsuki…"

"Hm?"

Natsuki whirled around to see her father slowly stand up from the sofa. His hands were behind his back and his face was plastered with guilt. "Dad, what is it?" Natsuki asked.

"Well…I know you'll probably hate me for this, but…" Shinzo revealed his hands to show a copy of Natsuki's Manga; one she had bought for herself the previous day. "…I thought I told you…I don't want this in my house…"

"Where did you find that?" Natsuki's eyes grew wide. "YOU LOOKED THROUGH MY STUFF!" The livid girl snapped, while her father simply looked down guiltily. "HOW DARE YOU! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT!"

"I didn't specifically go looking for it!" Shinzo tried explaining himself. "It just…Your bag! It was sticking out of it!"

"WELL THAT STILL DOESN'T GIVE YOU THE EXCUSE TO TAKE IT!"

"Why the hell are you SHOUTING AT ME FOR?!" Shinzo bellowed, causing the initially furious Natsuki to shrink back.

Seeing the girl so frightened and cowering by the door made Shinzo loosen up a bit, and the anger quickly subsided for disappointment. "I told you not to bring this…kiddy stuff into my house…" The man explained, albeit with much less rage in his voice.

"I don't care…you looked through my stuff…" Natsuki grumbled. "And why do you hate Manga anyway? I don't get it! Is it because you think I'm too old? It's too childish for me? Well since when have you ever cared for me anyway?!"

"Watch it, Natsuki. I made a promise to someone not to lose my temper and I don't want to be breaking it." Shinzo sternly warned his daughter, and she quickly held her tongue.

"Well, then would you at least tell me why you hate Manga so much? Please Dad…This…this is all I have…Please tell me why you would want to take that away from me…" Natsuki trembled, her eyes starting to water.

"…Sigh…Do you still remember…that day..? Your sixth birthday..?" Shinzo looked down sadly, avoiding eye contact with his daughter.

"…" Natsuki grimaced slightly. It was a day she really didn't want to remember. "…How could I not...?"

"…Yeah…It's not a day I want to remember…And I'm sure it's the same for you…" Shinzo gravely noted, and Natsuki nodded in agreement. "…I think you…deserve to know what actually happened…What…what did I tell you on that day? Or…or any other day after that?"

"You told me…" Natsuki thought for a good while; her memory of that fateful day still hazy and lined with hatred and sorrow. "…You…You didn't tell me anything actually…" The girl admitted, resulting in another grimace by Shinzo.

"Ah…" The man rubbed his hands together in guilt. "…Sorry…"

"What…What actually happened..?" Natsuki hesitantly asked, curious but at the same time not really liking what Shinzo's answer would be.

"What do you think happened? I mean, at first what do you think happened?"

"…" Natsuki bit her lip slightly. "…I just thought she left us…for somewhere…or someone…" The petite girl had a feeling she already knew what happened, but a part of her wanted so badly for her father to disprove that thought.

"…Well…I know that's what you thought at the time…and I know you're still thinking that…or at least praying it is that…and believe me…I was hoping the exact same thing as you on that day but…Natsuki…" Shinzo started to tear up slightly as his hands went limp and Natsuki's Manga fell onto the floor with a splat. The pages may have creased, the book may have torn or exploded into a million pieces, but Natsuki didn't even care.

She only cared about the next few words that were about to come out of the sullen man's mouth.

"…I think…sniff…I think deep down…you know what happened…sniff…" Shinzo stuttered as tears started to flow down his tired eyes and sunken cheeks.

"…I'm not stupid Dad…" Natsuki shook her head sadly. "How..? Why..?"

"It was the night, or morning rather, of your birthday…I was neatly wrapping your present on the floor just outside your room…Your mother…she went to the bookstore down the road to buy…I don't even know what it was called, but she knew you liked it…You had a friend in your playschool that introduced it to you…you remember? You were throwing a huge tantrum when your mother came to pick you up. Heh…" Shinzo looked up wistfully onto the ceiling, his eyes sparkling with tears. Natsuki was also starting to tear up as memories of her childhood came flashing back.

"Yeah…I remember her…She was such a pain in the ass, but she was my only friend so I had to stick with her…"

"Hah hah…I remember…The only thing you talked about was her…Your mother and I tried to get you to talk to the other children…But you just kept clinging on to that girl…" The father and daughter shared a recollective smile before the former decided to get back to the point. "Anyway…I wanted to drive her because it was late, but she said no; It was just a few blocks down and I still had your present to wrap…I didn't think anything of it, you know? Just a ten, fifteen minute walk and back, the neighborhood was good; we were in a part of town where everyone worked late so there were tons of commuters still wandering about, barely any traffic in our area; I thought: What's there to worry about?"

Natsuki held her breath, waiting for the revelation.

"And I got a call…roughly around midnight…It was a voice I had never heard before…And he said to me…the exact words… "Is this Shinzo Tamura..?" And I said yes…I thought it was some annoying telemarketer…or a salesman trying to sell me some washing machine…but then he said "Listen to me very carefully…Your wife has been in an accident. She's in critical condition and paramedics have been contacted. The accident is just outside Nonkina Bookstore"…Sniff…And I just ran. I put on my jacket, locked the door and just ran…And when I got there…I saw her…just…sniff…lying on the ground…" Shinzo's voice started to break. "…Her hair was all over the place…soaked in blood…And her face had this…unimaginable expression…It was one of…fear…sniff…and shock…her eyes were just wide and manic…and as I approached her and held her hand…And she just kept saying "Natsuki…Natsuki" …And I told her "It's okay…You're gonna be okay…" And I just looked into her eyes and they were starting to roll back into her head. I had no idea what to do…I just…knelt there and kept telling her it was okay, even minutes after I knew she passed I just knelt there and kept repeating the same words over and over…And the paramedics came…and when they took her…I just…continued kneeling there until the bookstore owner came and helped me up…and I just walked home without saying anything…The whole walk back…I was just thinking of you…and what to do with you; How to break it to you or if I even tell you anything at all…And when I reached our house…I opened the door…and sat there the entire night…just thinking of what to do…I didn't even know how much time had passed until I faintly heard the sound of your room door opening…and I still had no idea what to do…"

By now, both the father and daughter pair were in tears; Shinzo simply stood there, letting his tears run down his cheeks and off his chin, while Natsuki was a sniveling mess; her makeup stained and her pink lipstick soaking up all her tears. Natsuki knew this was where she came in; the beginning of the end for her childhood.

"…And when you said those words…Good…Morning…I just…completely lost it…The way you said it; something about it just blew a fuse in me…I was thinking: Good morning?! How the hell was it a GOOD morning?! And I just went completely berserk…And, well…here we are…"

As Shinzo finished his story, he slowly sunk down onto his knees and wept bitterly, while Natsuki stood in front of him, her sobbing starting to intensify as well.

"Sniff…All these years…I have treated you so poorly…A-And for what?! For nothing! Sniff…" The destroyed man wailed, staining the copy of Natsuki's Manga which was underneath him. "I know I haven't been a good father…or a father at all…And I know you probably resent me more than anything in the world…and I deserve it…but all I'm asking is…just not to bring this rancid, god-forsaken book into my house!" Shinzo cried, grabbing Natsuki's manga and throwing it at her, but at point, Natsuki didn't even care. Instead, she rushed over and hugged her father tightly.

"I don't hate you Dad!" Natsuki cried into her father's shoulder. "I can never hate you…I love you! You're my father! A-And…sniff…I-haven't exactly been the best daughter ei-either…sniff…I only made you mad with my stupid and childish antics when all you wanted was for me to grow up…sniff…A-And…sniff…I'm sorry!"

The duo continued to hug each other and cry into each other's shoulders for a good five minutes before Shinzo finally spoke up.

"…Sniff…I guess…I guess we both have…things to learn from each other, huh?"

"Heh heh…sniff…" Natsuki chuckled slightly, still out of breath from all the crying. "I guess so…"

The father and daughter released each other.

"I'm sorry for your…Manga…But please…not in the house…I just…cannot look at it without feeling inexplicable amounts of rage…"

"It's fine Dad…" Natsuki lied. Nothing hurt more than seeing a fresh copy of a Manga drenched in tears and folded to shit, but she wasn't about to piss him off in a situation like this, so she simply picked up the drenched Manga and set it on a table. "…It's a trashy one anyway…And yes; I promise: No more Manga in the house."

"Thank you, Natsuki…Good-Good girl…" Shinzo steadily stood himself up and stared awkwardly at his daughter. "You…You have fun at your friend's house, alright? Just…not too late; I'm buying dinner."

"Gee…thanks Dad…And you got it; Not too late…I guess I'm off then…Oh-My makeup, of course!" Natsuki quickly went into her bathroom and cleaned herself up. When she emerged ten minutes later, Shinzo could see that she didn't even bother putting on makeup a second time; only the pink lipstick was saved. "Much better. Welp, bye Dad!"

"Erm…bye Natsuki…" Shinzo awkwardly bid farewell as Natsuki made her way over to the front door.

"And one last thing…" Natsuki turned around before stepping out. "Mom…what was her name?"

Shinzo smiled slightly before giving Natsuki the answer to her eleven year old question.

"Natsune…Her name was Natsune…"

…

As it approached two thirty, Anon set in his living room, anxious tapping his feet as he waited for the arrival of his project partner. He had the television on, but he was so nervous that he couldn't even concentrate on whatever program it was showing.

"Relax…relax…It will be okay…" Anon thought of what his mother had told him before living for the shopping district. Lisa had long since left the household; knowing how awkward his son was with people while she was around, she decided to take the liberty of leaving him alone and doing some shopping, something Anon told her he would be eternally grateful for.

"Oh crap-" Anon jumped as his phone vibrated. It was a text from the girl herself.

"_OK, I'M HERE!"_

Anon set his phone down and took a few deep breaths.

"You got this…you got this…"

Standing up from the sofa, the boy made his way over to his front door and opened it. Sure enough, Natsuki stood by the gate, her arms full with plastic bags containing her share of the supplies.

"Sup!" Natsuki greeted the boy as he walked over to unlock the gate.

"Hey…" The boy greeted back, though with much less confidence. Mostly it was to do with what Natsuki was wearing; a cute white T-Shirt with a cute cat face above her heart, and a frilly pink skirt and matching pumps. She even had pink lipstick on; A little bit weird for Anon, considering she was the least girly of the four girls in the club.

"Jeez, don't make it feel so awkward already!" Natsuki snapped. It then dawned on Anon that he had done nothing besides stare at the petite girl for a good ten seconds.

"Ah-s-sorry!" the boy hastily apologized.

"It's gonna be a long afternoon, so don't be weird just because you're not used to seeing me outside of school. Anyway, I'm coming in."

Not wanting to piss her off with the entire afternoon left, Anon hastily stepped aside to let Natsuki in. Shutting the front door behind him, Anon followed Natsuki to the kitchen, which Lisa had made sure he had cleaned it up before leaving.

"You bought everything I asked you to, right?" Natsuki asked as she started to take out her items.

"Yep." Anon replied as he started to dig through his refrigerator. Earlier, Lisa had also asked him to organize the fridge; it would be easier to find the correct ingredients, but also, it was time the fridge got a makeover. "I went out yesterday to get it."

"Cool. I knew I could count on you." Natsuki smiled, which seemed to surprise Anon ever so slightly. That wasn't the standard Natsuki response or was it for today?

"Well…yeah…" Not wanting to push his luck, Anon simply acknowledged the petite girl and hauled out his share of the ingredients. Not wanting her companion to get too carried away, Natsuki quickly reverted back to her old form. "Wh-what are you getting so cocky for?! You didn't even help me take my bags! Pfft!"

"Oh come on…Not even two seconds." Anon rubbed his temples.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!" Natsuki jabbed Anon's sides, causing the boy to jerk suddenly. "Ow!" He cried. "Well, I didn't think you'd need any help. Ah? Ah? That's what you like to hear, right? Now you've got no choice but to let me go."

"I-!" Natsuki realized that she had fallen into Anon's trap and became extremely flustered. "-! FORGET IT! Let's just frikin' bake!" Without another word, Natsuki turned around and started to assemble her setup, while Anon followed suit, smiling away in satisfaction.

"Hey Natsuki?" Anon asked as he washed his hands.

"Hm?" Natsuki grunted, her back turned to him.

"Do you…really…hate being…well…small?

"Eh?" Natsuki spun around, her hands already caked in flour. "Well, I mean…It's not like I hate it…Hey come help me with this." Midway through Natsuki's explanation, she gestured Anon to come over to help her with the flour. "Thanks. And yeah. It's not like I hate it; sometimes I do like proving people wrong when they only think I'm worth my size. It's fun when I get to be small and still outdo people…" Natsuki suddenly flashed Anon a death stare as the two baking buddies starting adding milk to a large silver bowl. "Something which YOU wouldn't let me do! You happy? You took away my fun for one whole week; are you happy?"

"Who says it was fun for me?" Anon grinned, earning him an eye roll from his partner. "Ugh…never mind." Natsuki groaned as she reached over to the small bottle of vanilla extract. "Are you gonna get started or not? I have like; a ga-jillion things to teach you because you don't know jack shit about baking, you're only a tiny bit better at cooking than Sayori because you didn't burn anyone's house down, and you're just an all round moron!"

"Hah hah!" Anon laughed heartily.

"What? Why are you laughing?!" Natsuki crossed her arms angrily.

"Nothing…I was just starting to wonder if someone had taken over your brain; Looks like you've taken it back."

"Hey…" To Anon's slight dismay, Natsuki looked visibly hurt by his remark. "I-I was just trying to be a little nicer to you, you know?"

"I know…And I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to keep making fun of you…And besides, there's nothing wrong with being small; just thought I'd let you know. I know plenty of boys who're into body types like yours." Anon was somewhat unsure whether what he said would pass, but he held his ground nonetheless.

"Ah…" Natsuki looked slightly flustered. "How would you know that anyway?"

"Just trust me on this one." Anon gave Natsuki a reassuring smile, but all it met was scorn.

"Ugh…gross!" Natsuki spat.

"H-Hey!"

"Ahahaha! I knew that would get you all riled up! You just hate it when girls call you gross, huh? And besides, I didn't know you had many friends at all!"

"Okay…I guess I deserve that…Now can we get started on the baking or not?" Anon conceded.

"Wow. I totally forgot about the baking; nobody said anything about it." Natsuki rolled her eyes sarcastically. "Can you help me measure a quarter of a teaspoon of salt?"

"Teaspoon is the smallest one right?" Anon asked as he picked up a small silvery spoon.

"Did you pass your Home Economics? My goodness…" Natsuki exclaimed, clearly appalled at Anon's lack of cooking knowledge.

"That's why I have my Mom." Anon shrugged. "Does this go into the milk bowl?"

"Nope. This goes into the other bowl there with the flour and baking powder." Natsuki instructed.

"You got it." Anon acknowledged and began measuring out his ingredients. "Have you ever done it, though?" The boy asked as he poured a teaspoon full of baking soda into his bowl.

"Done what?" Natsuki asked, also adding ingredients to her bowl.

"Proved someone wrong with your size."

"Err, like every day with Yuri. Jeez; literally yesterday when we went out, she offered to carry my manga set for me and I literally held everything that I bought in one hand! You should have seen the look on her face; it was HILARIOUS. She was all like "E-Eh?" And she does her signature blushing thing and apologizes like fifty times for underestimating me; it's so funny when I do it to Yuri!" Natsuki couldn't help but laugh at her memory of Yuri that day.

"What's the deal with you and Yuri anyway? One day you're hanging out like best friends, the next day you're bickering over the littlest of things…"

"Well…" Natsuki pondered over Anon's question. "…It's not what you think; we don't hate each other. I mean, I know what I said to her on that day and trust me; I feel like crap whenever it comes back to my head; and I told this to Monika too; she was the one who got me to apologize in the first place but…" Natsuki bit her lip. "…A-Ah…"

"What is it? What happened?" Anon stopped measuring flour and set the cup down.

"N-Nothing…W-we just…We hugged it out…It was emotional, but we got there eventually."

"I don't know, it just seems like even when you're in a good mood with her, you're just so…how do I say it…You keep…what's that word…" Anon racked his brain, but couldn't quite come up with the correct word to use. "You keep saying things that make it sound like you REALLY hate her guts, don't you think?"

"Well, that's how our relationship works. If you go talk to Yuri right now, she'd probably say the same thing about me, though she tends to hold back a lot more. She's surprisingly good at roasting people."

"Ah, well…" Anon looked down shamefully. "…I don't think that's gonna happen anytime soon…"

"What? Talking to Yuri? Why's that?" Natsuki too stopped setting up her mixer and stared at Anon.

"She…erm…I don't think she likes me that much…" Anon admitted.

"Wait, what? Why?" Natsuki sounded slightly disappointed when Anon said that.

"You know how I said I managed to share with everyone on Friday?"

"Yeah?"

"Well I lied…I didn't get to share with Yuri…and not just Friday; Thursday too. On Thursday, I approached her and the first thing she asked me was if I was still mad at her. And I was so confused; I had no idea why she would think that, and she said it was because I took your side yesterday and that somehow meant she also insulted me? Then she told me she wanted to be alone so I did, thinking it would be better on Friday, but on Friday, when I approached her, she just sat down and started reading…I just…I don't know what I can do; I tried to use her writing methods and I even tried writing in cursive-"

"-Something you need to work on."

"-And nothing! And I just…I know she's shy and I know I'm not the best when it comes to talking to girls, but for once, I really have no idea what I'm doing wrong!"

Natsuki looked at the troubled boy for a few seconds, before an idea came to her head. "What happened to the book she gave you?"

Anon seemed to react slightly to Natsuki's question, but tried to act casual to play it off. "What?" He asked as innocently as possible, but it didn't work for Natsuki, who knew immediately what had happened.

"You never read it, did you? You didn't even take it out from your bag at all; It's probably sitting inside next to folders and binders getting more and more torn up and folded as the days go. That's how it is right now, isn't it?"

"…I…" Anon tried defending himself, but gave up and looked down.

"My goodness! And you're still wondering why Yuri doesn't to talk to you?! She went out of her way to GET something for you for Christ's sake! And you just threw it into your bag like it was homework! Like I KNOW she saw that! When you went over to help me on Wednesday, you never looked at the book since! I bet you don't even know what it's called!"

"I…I'm sorry…I just…haven't had the time to read it…"

Natsuki stared at Anon and she suddenly felt guilty. She could tell that Anon never really meant to hurt her friend that way. "I'm sorry too…for raising my voice…It's just…you know how hard it is for Yuri to make friends, right?"

"Yeah…" Anon rubbed his arm.

"Well, let's just say that, now that she has Dean, the chances that you will be able to talk to her are really slim. She almost didn't want to talk to me on Friday either." Natsuki admitted, leaving out the rest of the details of that fateful day.

"Damn…Well at least she decided to talk to you. I know it's not my position to say anything, but I get quite worried for Yuri sometimes…You can't help but wonder what happens if one day Dean calls in sick or moves town…What would she do? I mean, I'm glad the two of you made amends, but I couldn't imagine what would happen if she didn't and only clung on to Dean. That was my mistake back in Elementary School; I thought: Since I already had Sayori after school, I don't have to make that many friends, so I just stuck with this one guy throughout my first six years…and those days where he was sick, I was left wandering around like a chump. And Dean's only going to be around for like what, less than a year?"

"Yep. I thought the same. I'm guilty of the same thing back in kindergarten; this one girl: I was basically her shadow."

"Classic kid mistake." Anon chuckled. "I'm sure this means a lot to Yuri that you went out of your way to patch things up."

"Hehe…I guess…" Natsuki smiled knowingly. "Hey can you pass me the dough hook? It's that metal thing there. Thanks." Natsuki grabbed the dough hook from Anon and screwed it into the shaft. "Alright! Are you ready to make some cupcakes?"

"Yeah, let's do it!" Anon replied with some enthusiasm, which was more than enough for Natsuki.

…

…

…

"Wow. I cleaned all of that…for nothing."

Anon took a step back from his counter to survey his kitchen and needless to say, it was in an even worse shape than before; worse than after Lisa's cooking even.

"Hey, don't sell yourself short; we don't want our cupcakes to get contaminated, do we? A clean kitchen is a happy kitchen, so thanks!" Natsuki gave a reassuring grin to her baking buddy, which seemed to do the trick.

"Aw gee; I feel so much better already; I mean it by the way. Anyway, you asked me about food colouring just now, right?"

"Yep! The batter's gonna be in the oven soon, so we need to fill the trays." Natsuki instructed.

"Of course; it's next to that empty bag there. What are you using it for?" Anon asked.

"To colour the batter of course! I want all the trays to have different coloured cupcakes so that even those picky eaters can pick their favourite! People who only want strawberry will be tricked into taking the red ones!" Natsuki giggled cheekily.

"Hm…That could work." Anon nodded. "Should we do the same with the icing?"

"Erm, do you want to?" Natsuki asked as she started to scoop the batter into smaller bowls.

"Well, you're the expert here so…I'm ok with anything." Anon shrugged.

"Oh come on! Where's your sense of style? Adventure? Fun? Any emotion at all?!" Natsuki urged. "Who says you have to follow the instructions? Now's the time to get creative and have fun! Here!" Natsuki handed a few other bottles of food colouring to Anon. "Knock yourself out."

Anon was still unsure, but then he remembered the cupcakes he was served on his debut day at the club and how impressed the girls were. The smiles on their faces that day seemed to inspire him slightly. "You know what, I'll do just that. Prepare for the most colourful cupcakes the world has ever seen!"

"Woah woah woah, hold your horses there pal; I like that you're finally excited over something, but just make sure you finish mixing the icing before you mess around with the food colouring." Natsuki warned the boy.

"Yep-I'm getting there…" Anon informed as he continued to stir the icing.

"Eh? What do you mean getting there; the icing's still all lumpy!" Natsuki barked.

"Well sOrRy, but someone got stuck with the big dumb spoon and nothing but his will to do this task." Anon protested after seeing Natsuki's disgusted face.

"Ugh! Let me show you how it's REALLY done." Natsuki snatched the bowl and the ladle out of Anon's arms and began forcefully stirring the icing. "You just…have to…beat…the crap out of it!" Natsuki said between breaths. Sure enough, after Natsuki's help, the consistency of the icing improved considerably.

"Ah…thanks." Anon thanked Natsuki for her help.

"See." Natsuki stuck her finger in her mouth to taste the icing and Anon followed suite, but his hand was painfully swatted away by his partner.

"Ew-gross!"

"Ow?!" Anon recoiled in shock.

"I don't want YOUR gross fingers in my icing!" Natsuki snapped.

"Hmm…YOUR icing, eh? Need I remind you who was the one that did all the work? For the icing? And who was stuck with the primitive techniques while you got all the technology?" Anon protested as he stuck his finger closer to the bowl.

"What-Are you giving me SpongeBob references now? Get your icky fingers out of there!" Natsuki tried again to pry Anon's hands away from the icing, but the boy showed surprising amounts of strength and nipped the top of the icing, just as she successfully pried him away.

"Oh-!"

"AH-!"

The sudden movement also caused a bit of icing to splatter across Natsuki's face.

"Gross, gross! Ack!" The flustered girl stumbled back. "You got it all on my face you nitwit!"

"And whose fault is that?" Anon rolled his eyes.

"NNN! Nnn…nnn…" Natsuki tried to lick the glob of icing off her face with her tongue, but it was too far away. "Fuh…Hmph-! You know wha, take this!"

"Wha-!"

To Anon's shock, Natsuki wiped the icing off with her left index finger and shoved it straight at his face. Luckily enough, his reflexes were able to grab Natsuki's arm in time. Natsuki tried using her other hand, but Anon saw it coming and grabbed it as well.

"Ahaha! Stop!" Natsuki laughed as Anon successfully evaded her attacks.

"Not until you apologize for calling me gross!" Anon demanded as he held Natsuki's arms firmly by her head.

"Fine, fine! I'm sorry for calling you gross! You know I didn't mean it!" Natsuki apologized through her laughter as she struggled to break out of Anon's grasp, but the scrawny boy was stronger than she thought. "It's just fun seeing you react to it! You do that to me all the time, you know; saying dumb things to get a reaction out of me. You really shouldn't tease girls like that."

"You know what?"

"What?"

"You're right."

"I'm right?"

"Yeah, you're right. But you know what else? I probably shouldn't do this either but…"

Without warning, Anon leans in and licks the icing off of Natsuki's index finger.

"Wh-wh-wha-?!" Natsuki recoils in shock and instinctively kicks Anon in the shin.

"YEOW!" The boy cries out in pain, but he keeps his grip on the girl's arms.

"Did you seriously just-A-Ah…" Natsuki was so shocked by the sequence of events that she couldn't even figure a way to get mad. Instead, she simply stood there and stared deep into Anon's eyes.

"I-!" Anon stammered. Apparently, even HE had no idea what was going through his head when he did that. "I-I…" The boy continued to struggle to come up with an explanation, but was hushed by Natsuki.

"Anon…You know you really shouldn't do that kind of thing to girls…unless you really like them…You know that, right?"

Anon stared back, his heart starting to beat faster and faster. The question Natsuki just posed him also didn't help matters.

"I…err…"

-BEEP BEEP BEEP-

"Saved by the…wait, was that the fire alarm?" Anon thought.

"Woah!" Natsuki broke out of Anon's now weak as hell grasp and rushed over to the oven. Smoke was billowing out of it and a burnt smell was starting to linger through the kitchen.

"Is something burning?" Anon asked, finally broken out of his trance. "I thought err…I thought you haven't put the cupcakes in yet."

"Cough, cough!" Natsuki hacked as she emerged from the smoke, holding a blacked tray which now matched her face. "No wonder…" The girl seethed. "You left a dirty tray in here, dummy! How could you make a mistake like that?!"

"You should have checked before you turned the oven on!" Anon cried.

"Don't blame me for your mistakes…jeez…" Natsuki grumbled as she set the dirty tray down onto the counter and carefully placed the correct ones in. All the while, Anon watched, disheartened and dejected for ruining the moment.

"Hey err, Natsuki?" Anon asked, but was immediately shut down.

"Just-! Just finish the icing…" Natsuki rebuked coldly without even looking at him."

"…" Anon opened his mouth, but reluctantly complied and went back to whisking the icing, beating himself on the inside for pulling off such an inexplicable stunt.

…

"Mmph…I'm so full…"

Monika leaned back in her bed and rubbed her bloated stomach. The cheese tarts her father gave her were more filling than she thought. "I guess I should clear these…" Monika said as she looked over at her dirty plate and coffee mug. "Eh…I guess a third refill of coffee wouldn't hurt."

As Monika pushed her way out of her room, something caught her eye that made her stop in her tracks.

"Erm…Can we talk?" Moniri asked while standing in the hallway.

Not saying a word, Monika walked past her mother and down the stairs.

"Monika!" Her mother called, but the annoyed girl continued walking to the kitchen and began washing her plate.

"Monika." Moniri hurried down the stairs and into the kitchen behind her daughter. "Monika, listen. Your...Your mother is sorry for the things she said…" Still no response from the girl. "Look…Your Dad and I had a talk…And…I've decided to not cancel your piano lessons…I told Mr. Miyogi that there had been a misunderstanding and…well…you'll still be continuing them…"

Monika looked up from the sink. "Thanks…" The girl gave a small smile and returned to cleaning her plate.

"Ah-Well…Ok then…" Moniri rubbed her hands awkwardly. "Erm…So…Are you gonna promise me you'll work hard? I need that affirmation from you, Monika."

Monika finished rinsing her plate and placed it on the drying rack before turning back to her mother. "Sure. I will." The girl replied flatly.

"That's…Ahaha…That's not really convincing, my dear." Moniri raised an eyebrow, but Monika was not in the mood to appease her mother right now. "M-Monika!" Moniri was taken aback as Monika brushed past her and went straight to the stairs. "Monika? Monika!"

No response from the girl as she continued her ascent.

"Monika! Monika, wait!" Moniri pushed her way into her daughter's room before she could shut the door.

"What? What?!" Monika snapped as her mother closed the door behind her.

"Ok-Lower down your voice-"

"No! Why should I listen to anything you say anymore?!" Monika interrupted her mother.

"Well, I'm your mother to start things off-"

"Why should I do anything to please you? Can't you just get off my back for one second?!"

"Okay." Moniri relented, and placed her hands behind her back, allowing Monika to speak.

"…" Monika glared at her mother, but her reaction soon softened after remembering her conversation with her father two hours ago. "…Sigh…I know what I said to Dad just now; I'm pretty sure he told you what I said?"

"He did." Moniri confirmed.

"Frikin…Sorry…Anyway, what I'm saying is…I need…some space…to myself right now…okay? I'm sorry for being disrespectful and I didn't mean to raise my voice at you earlier…but…yeah, I'm sorry Mom." Monika looked down, while Moniri continued to stare deeply into her daughter's eyes.

"I'm sorry too."

Monika looked surprised. "That's a first."

"Ahaha…I guess I deserve that one. No; your father talked some sense into me…I know I haven't been a great mother…I just want you to succeed in life, you know? To do…something with your life-"

"Okay, what?! What do you mean?" Monika asked, her hostile tone returning.

"Well, you know? To go out and make a name for yourself-"

"No, no; now hold on…" Monika held up her hand. "What do you think I've been doing, huh?! You think I've been crammed in my room all day, studying? No!"

"Okay, Monika-"

"Why do you think I started a club?! Picked up piano?! You think they were just mindless hobbies?! I've been doing just that! And you come to me and say "Oh-I want you to study your ass of but also do something else that's ALSO life changing-" Well who are you to tell me what I should do with my life?! You act like studying is all that ever matters and now you come to me telling me to go out in the world and have fun?! I'VE BEEN DOING ALL OF THAT! BUT TO YOU THEY'RE JUST NONSENSE, DISTRACTIONS! I knew it…you never gave a shit…You're just saying what Dad wanted you to say-"

"Monika please! I AM proud that you formed a club-"

"Were you?!" Monika screeched. "Were you proud when you told Dad how unbecoming it was that I was wasting time at such inconsequential after school activities?!"

"I-!" Moniri opened her mouth, but it quickly closed back when she realized she had no other arguments.

"NO. EVERYTHING MUST BE PRIM AND PROPER FOR MONIRI AKAZAWA! Even poetry isn't enough class for you; You need something exquisite, something worth of a scholarship, something that SCREAMS ENLIGHTENING. You think my piano is no good…you think writing poems is boring; you think MY poems are boring! You want me to sit down with your board and listen to violin recitals and go to stupid plays wearing the most expensive dresses. Well, you know what? Screw your plays. Screw your meaningful lifestyle." Monika huffed as she finished off her rant, a painful silence lingering after between the two women.

"Monika…" Moniri began, but was shut down once again by her daughter.

"You want me to work hard, you want me to get tuition for every subject, fine. I'll get tuition. I'll pull all-nighters every day. But don't you ever, EVER, tell me what to do outside of studying." Monika warned, venom dripping in her voice. "Now…please leave…I need some time to think…"

Moniri looked on solemnly, but decided standing around wasn't gonna be of much help and quietly left her daughter's room, closing the door behind her.

"…"

Monika stared at her ceiling, completely out of breath.

"Silly me; thinking she was actually on my side for once…" The dejected girl said to herself. "Sniff, well; No use moping around, I guess I better check on Sayori-Ah…I guess I should give her some space…" Monika remembered how Anon was in her room and how conversations between those two pretty much lasted forever. "…Maybe tonight…"

With a tired sigh, Monika laid back down in her bed and closed her eyes.

"Maybe tonight…"

…

"Sayori? I'm back!"

Sayori climbed out of her bed lazily and plodded downstairs. Sure enough, Midori was at the dining table. "I got some new clothes for you and the air pods you bought. Oh and dinner's here too if you're hungry."

"Erm…I'm not that hungry Mom. I guess I'll have it later." Sayori declined.

"Hm? My daughter isn't hungry? Who are you and what have you done with Sayori?" Midori joked, but to her surprise, her daughter wasn't laughing.

She didn't seem to be in high spirits at all.

"I'm…I'm just not feeling that hungry…" Sayori responded, devoid of energy.

"Uhm…Okay then…" Midori replied, a hint of uneasiness in her voice. The number of times her daughter had been either unresponsive or lethargic this week were one too many.

Still, she decided not to look too far into it.

"Well, feel free to eat any time, then." Midori smiled and Sayori smiled back as she headed back up to her room. "Oh dear…I wonder what could be troubling her…" Midori said to herself as she continued unpacking her items.

"Ugh…"

Back in her room, Sayori closed her door and threw herself into her bed. "…Sigh…"

Time ticked by and Sayori continued lying her bed, staring at the ceiling.

"…Sometimes holding on hurts more than letting go-no; All of the time! And trust me; I have had this happen to me before."

Monika's words echoed inside her head as Sayori continued playing it out over and over.

"Okay…I look forward to it. And to seeing you. So…see you…tomorrow…"

Anon's words were next, trying their hardest to push Monika's out of her brain.

"…Breath…breath Sayori…"

Sayori tried to talk herself out of making any rash decisions, but she knew that there was only room in her brain for one set of words.

"You have to forget about him. He's not worth your time." A voice came from beside Sayori.

"Monika?" Sayori whirled around, but soon realized it wasn't actually Monika. Not that that sort of thing surprised her anymore.

"Monika…get out of my head." Sayori said calmly, but Monika continued standing there.

"Oh come on, Sayori. Are you gonna let this girl you've only known for, what, three, four years, drag you away from your friend you've known your whole life?" Sayori turned to see Anon on her right.

"Please. Just leave…" Sayori repeated, but both of them continued to stand there.

"Oh shut up!" Monika spat at Anon. "Known your whole life? You've been filling her head with nothing but dreams and lies! All you've done is made her miserable!"

"Me?! What about you?! You don't even trust her as your own vice-president! Every time she's with you, all she ever does is cry because of YOU. YOU made her feel inferior, YOU made her feel worthless!" Anon rebutted furiously.

"Oh you don't seriously think that Sayori thinks that of me! We all know you're head over heels for Natsuki, yet you're still acting all arm and gooey next to Sayori! How can you do that to her?!" Monika continued to argue her case, but was silenced by Sayori.

"Enough!" The agitated girl held up her right palm. "That's not true."

"Oh Sayori honey, of course it's true! He likes Natsuki! They've spent more than half of our club time reading Manga together up against the dusty classroom wall!" Monika desperately tried explaining to Sayori, while Anon rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Oh spare me the romance; that doesn't mean we're in love!" Anon argued. "So what if we just so happen to share a common interest?! Sayori, please don't listen to what this bitch has to say; She's only doing this because she's jealous; that popular and intelligent Monika gets dumped by a fake and old Sayori is able to find herself a loving boyfriend! I've known you for over ten years!"

"Sayori…You trust me, right?" Monika asked gently, while Anon looked on in worry.

The poor girl was at an impasse. Slowly but surely, she began to revert back to her pre-pep-talk form.

"…Sniff…I-I don't know…sniff…"

"Come on Sayori…Just forget about it…I already told you; Sometimes, holding on hurts more than letting go-"

"And what exactly is she letting go of here, huh? Over ten years of friendship for some chick?! You expect her to just waste that?!"

"…A-Argh...! J-Just shut up!"

"Come on, Sayori."

"Sayori, I'm your best friend!"

"Just let it go!"

"I love you!"

"ARGH!"

Sayori suddenly sat up in her bed, her eyes wide open. Monika and Anon were no longer around.

"…Pant…pant…" Sayori took a few seconds to catch her breath before walking out of her room. "Bye Mom." She said nonchalantly as she walked towards the front door.

"Sayori? Where are you going sweetie; It's almost dinner time!" Midori called from the dining area.

"To Anon's. Don't worry; I'll be back for dinner." Sayori said without giving her mother a second glance, and before she knew it, she was out in the street.

"It's gonna be fun, right?" The girl asked herself. "Please…just let me be right for once…"

…

"And…done!"

Natsuki and Anon stepped back as they laid their finishing touches on the very last cupcake. "Phew!" Natsuki wiped the sweat off her forehead as she set her icing pipe onto the kitchen counter. Dozens of cute little cupcakes sat staring at her, each with a different word painted on it.

"See: I told you you'd like my idea." Anon smiled in satisfaction.

"When did I say I'd not?" Natsuki scoffed.

"Oh, I don't know, how about half an hour ago?"

"I said I THOUGHT you would say something stupid, but you didn't. It was actually a very cute idea, okay?" Natsuki squirmed, struggling to keep her praises from coming out.

"Well, thanks." Anon smiled, which seemed to put Natsuki at ease. "Don't they look pretty?" The boy asked. Natsuki didn't know why, but the boy actually looked proud at something for once.

Not wanting to dampen the mood, Natsuki decided to play along for now. "Yeah….They are, aren't they? Uuu-I wish I could have one now!"

"Oh-Then…go ahead then! I don't see any harm in just taking one out of I don't know how many! Besides: You gotta take as much before Sayori-" Anon stopped halfway through his joke and held his breath.

"Before err…before…" The boy stammered, clearly uncomfortable with the joke his was about to make.

"Before what? Before she eats the whole batch?! Hahaha! You know, I know I'm laughing and all, but you really need to stop making fun of your childhood friend! If I were Sayori, I would have dumped your ass by now! N-Not that we're together or anything! I just-N-Never mind!" Natsuki spat, finishing off Anon's joke before he could even start.

"Yeah…I should…" The boy sighed wistfully. "A-Anyway…yeah. You can take one…"

"W-Well…It's not that I don't want to…It's just…my dad's buying dinner tonight, so I really need to save my-" Natsuki paused midsentence.

"Natsuki?" Anon raised an eyebrow.

"…appetite…" The girl eventually trailed off as she remembered what happened earlier. "You know what? Screw appetite; let's eat!" Natsuki grinned suddenly as she swiped a cupcake from one of the trays. This one was pink, obviously, and had the word "Valentine" written on it.

"I'm surprised we managed to fit that word on there…" Anon commented as he reached for a cupcake with the word "Whisper".

"Told ya: I'm a pro. Now shut up and eat it!" Natsuki exclaimed eagerly.

"Okay, okay, no need to get so worked up…" Anon scoffed as he bit down into his cupcake.

A tidal wave of flavor and emotions flooded the man.

"Holy-Woah…" The boy exclaimed as he stared at the cupcake in disbelief. "This is…This is your best one yet!"

"MMM!" Natsuki moaned as she bit down into hers. "Mhm! I agree!" The girl said with her mouth full. "And what do you mean mine? Mmph! You put in just as much effort!"

"Oh-No, not nearly as much as you…" Anon brushed off the rare compliment.

"It's OUR best one yet." Natsuki met the boy in the middle.

"Heh heh…Yeah…It is." The boy finally agreed and the two bakers continued their meals in silence and satisfaction.

"Ah geez: Look at the time…" Natsuki glanced at her watch after finishing the last of her cupcake.

"Oh, do you need to be home by a certain time?" Anon asked.

"Yep: Now. I was hoping we would have time for manga, but like I said; I need to be home for dinner, so…" Natsuki looked down sadly.

"Ah-Well…That's fine; we still have tomorrow…Err, we can read after the festival! That's better, right? No time constraints or anything!" Anon suggested, trying to lift Natsuki's dampened spirits.

"Um, I guess…It's your fault for working so slowly anyway! Well, speaking of the festival, you can bring the cupcakes tomorrow, right? If you and Sayori each carry some, then you can probably do it in one tip."

"Erm…It's…fine; I don't really want to bother her and I can't really promise you that she won't eat any…" Anon half-lied, still remembering the earlier encounter.

"Well, as long as the cupcakes get there on time, I'm not gonna complain." Natsuki said. "Alright, I'm all packed up! Good work today!"

"Yeah, you too! Here; I'll walk you out." Anon followed Natsuki as they strolled out of the front door.

Outside, however, the mood suddenly changed.

"Well…I guess I'll be off then…" Natsuki muttered, her earlier confidence seemingly lost for some reason. "Thanks for all the help and everything…I'll see you tomorrow."

"N-Natsuki, wait!" Anon called out suddenly, causing Natsuki to spin around in shock.

"Eh?" Natsuki looked slightly flustered, but Anon mustered up his courage.

"Look: I had fun today, alright? I did. You showed me how fun baking could be; like you wanted and…well I guess we did get to know more about each other too…" Anon's heart started accelerating as he drew closer to the good part. "But other than that…"

Natsuki watched the boy tensely as he slowly started to form the next few words from his mouth.

"…You can come over anytime, okay? I think that…if possible…I'd…sigh…I'd like to spend more time like this." The boy exhaled deeply. "If you want to read manga…or go out somewhere-"

"Um-" Natsuki interrupted. "-Do you…really mean that?"

"Yeah. I want to spend more time with you." Anon finally admitted as a smile slowly crept onto his face.

"Anon…" Natsuki clenched her fists tightly. "I thought you only cared about getting this done…"

"Well, no; I mean-"

"Uu-! I'm sorry that I had to leave so early today!" Natsuki apologized before Anon could say anything. "I really didn't want to! I would really…stay here longer…if I could…I feel the same way, so…"

Before Anon could react, Natsuki suddenly crept closer to him.

"Wait, Natsuki-"

Anon looked down at the girl. His heart was already beating out of his chest and sweat was rolling down his face. Still keeping his eyes on Natsuki's, he could ever so slightly feel her fingers slowly clutch onto the sides of his black T-Shirt.

As time ticked on, Anon started to feel his head going dizzy, but he persevered on. His eyes darted from Natsuki's pink eyes to her slightly parted lips. Is this…

No way, right?

It couldn't be…could it..?

The two friends stood there for a few seconds, each looking into the other's eyes deeply. Neither party said a word; the only form of communication was Natsuki's soft breaths against Anon's face.

Until finally…

"I've felt it…" Natsuki says slowly, breaking the silence. "…for a while now…"

Anon stared deeply into Natsuki's eyes, his heart pounding.

"Holy shit…This is it, this is it, this is it!" The boy thought as his face crept closer to the girl in front of him. "Holy shit yes! Holy shit YES!"

As Anon drew closer, Natsuki's eyes darted over to the side as if she caught something in her peripheral vision.

"-!"

All of a sudden, Natsuki released her grip from Anon's T-Shirt and jumped back a few spaces. "S-Sayori?!" The girl cried out, her eyes wide in fear and disbelief.

"Eh?!" Anon exclaimed in disbelief as he spun around just as fast as Natsuki leaped back. To his surprise and dismay, there, in the middle of the road, her body illuminated by the glow of the setting sun, was none other than his childhood friend.

"Ah…H-Hi Anon…"

"S-Sayori!" Anon stammered, his head spinning and his heart pounding but for all the wrong reasons this time. As the boy struggled to come up with an excuse, Natsuki looked at the ground uncomfortably and shifted between her feet. Needless to say, Sayori was the last person both of them wanted to see.

Especially Anon.

"Just now, we weren't-"

"Ehehe, it's okay Anon!" Sayori smiled, but it only sent Anon into further panic. "I just stopped by to say hi!"

"A-Ah…" Natsuki spoke up. "W-Well…You should have come earlier! I'm already on my way out, so…"

"Aw, really? That's too bad…" Sayori whined, but Anon knew she was anything but disappointed.

"Yeah well, I'll still see you at the festival tomorrow, so it's fine. Just don't eat any cupcakes before then!" Natsuki snapped.

"Natsuki!" Anon whispered harshly as he gave Natsuki a look, but she was already making her leave to even bother with anything. "Anyway, later!" The girl huffed, clearly flustered, and hurries off before Anon could even say anything. As Sayori waved goodbye, Anon looked on in despair. Knowing Natsuki, she would probably never be seen within a mile from him ever again for the rest of the school year until they graduate.

Gritting his teeth, the boy turned to face his childhood friend.

"Sayori…I thought you didn't want to come over today!" The boy asked, trying his hardest to sound concerned.

"Ahaha, well…I tried staying in my room…but my imagination was being really mean to me…Nothing I told myself worked, nothing….other people…told me worked…So I had to come here and see it for myself."

"See what? What are you talking about; what imagination?" Anon asked, starting to get annoyed.

"You know…How much fun you were having with Natsuki and how close you got to her. It makes me…really happy…" Sayori said, tears now starting to form in her eyes. Anon could see that she was smiling, but it was the kind of smile that looked like you were getting stabbed with a fire iron with. "..That you made…such good friends…" The broken girl continued, her voice getting shakier. "That's all that matters to me." Tears were now pouring down Sayori's cheeks. Meanwhile, an exasperated Anon had not the faintest idea what to say or do.

"That's all that matters to me-!" Sayori's face scrunched up, her sniffing getting louder. "Sniff…W-Why am I feeling this way, Anon? I'm supposed to be happy for you…Why does it feel like my heart is splitting in half?! It hurts so much…everything hurts so much! This could be so much better if I could just disappear!"

"Sayori, don't say that!" The boy finally said.

"But it's true, Anon!" Sayori continued crying. "If I wasn't here, then you wouldn't have to waste your sympathy on me!"

"Sayori-I already told you-"

"But that's not all, isn't it?" Sayori wiped her eyes, her voice suddenly taking a more menacing turn. "By bring here, I also ruined your date with Natsuki!"

"It wasn't a date; we were just-"

"Just what, huh?! I know you were trying to deny it just now when she was still here, but I'm not dumb, Anon. I saw the way she looked at you…She likes you…I know it's Natsuki and it's almost impossible for her to admit it, but she likes you…" As Sayori laid the hard truth into Anon, the boy slowly but surely began to accept it. "…And I know you like her too…" Sayori said, also accepting that it was the way things were.

That didn't mean she wasn't upset about it.

"Sayori, I-"

"Oh cut the horseshit, Anon!" Sayori snapped, scaring Anon slightly. "You like her, don't you?!"

Anon stood there with his mouth ajar, too afraid to respond.

"JUST SAY IT!"

"S-Sayori! Wh-what is happening; this isn't you!" Anon pleaded, and Sayori, seeing Anon with such fear and helplessness in his eyes, slowly started to lose her manic expression. Anon, sensing he had a slim chance to continue, decided not to fuck around anymore.

"Sayori-Look: What I said before it true; you don't have to be alone in this. Caring about you isn't the burden your mind is making it out to be. It's something that makes me happy. It's something I wouldn't trade for anything else. And I meant what I said; about being by your side…It's not just for the festival tomorrow; it's forever…and those thoughts, those imaginations you were talking about…I will be by your side until they leave forever…and that's a promise…"

As Anon finished, he hesitantly put his hand onto Sayori's shoulder, half expecting it to be angrily brushed off, but to his relief, Sayori let it happen and her expression reverted back to a less angry one.

"I'm scared, Anon…I'm…really…scared…" Sayori trembled.

"What are you scared of, Sayori?" Anon asked gently.

"That I might like you more than you like me…"

The air around the two friends suddenly became increasingly tense. It was as if there was music playing like it was a movie scene and the music stopped all of a sudden.

"Well…I…I'm sorry Sayori…I, err…didn't know you felt this way about me…" Anon rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. If silences could kill, he'd be as dead as a doornail.

"You don't really know much about anything really, ehehe…" Sayori laughed. "But you don't have to say anything Anon…I know that you like Natsuki…"

"I…" Anon opened his mouth, but at that point, all his excuses and reasons had dried up.

"Just say it, please…" Sayori begged softly. A part of her just wanted to hear Anon's confession once and for all, but another part of her wished for him to just deny all of it. Maybe, just maybe, there was a slim chance that-

"You're right…"

Sayori felt her heart break into a million pieces.

"…You're right…I do like Natsuki…We, err…I never really noticed it at first; as always, but I guess…we've just bonded over our time at the club, you know? But who cares about that right now? Sayori; I'm still your best friend, okay? I-I hate that you had to find out like that…And I'm so, so sorry…But nothing has to change, okay? We're still going to have as much fun at the festival! We're still going to hang out every day after school! And we're definitely going to get those thoughts out of your head…I promise…"

Sayori looked at Anon, forcing a smile through an incredibly pained expression.

"I…I see…Ahaha…" Anon looked like he desperately wanted to say something, but he knew it would only make things worse. "Is this what it feels like…to get stabbed in the chest? I should write a poem about this…"

"Sayori…"

"It's okay. This is just my punishment, remember? For being so selfish?" This time, Anon didn't even scold her for using that word. He just stood there, looking on as helpless as ever. "So please…please don't worry about these stupid thoughts; you don't have to get them out of my head."

"No, no!"

"I know you're right…"

"No, Sayori-please!"

"I knew this whole time that there's no happiness down that path…That's why I came here…Just so I could get the answer I needed to hear…"

"God; what do I…argh…!" The boy groaned in exasperation.

"You don't need to get so worked up, Anon…You Are right! I do want things to go back to the way they were…I realize that now…" Sayori sniffled, her fake smile slowly breaking. "I'll trust you with anything…anything at all…"

Sayori might have sounded like she was starting to accept things, but the tone of her voice and her increasing trembling said otherwise.

"So…" The girl choked on her last word until she could no longer hold it in anymore.

In the blink of an eye, Sayori's smile broke completely and she fell to her knees, cupping her ears.

"What the fuck-Sayori!" Anon bent over to help her, but he was stopped by the most chilling scream he had ever heard.

"AAAAAaaaaAAAAAAAAHH!"

The boy jolted back. He had held his right arm out to help his friend, but now it simply dangled by his side, trembling as much as the girl before him. People around could have stared, they could have not, but at that point, Anon was too shocked to even care.

Then, without saying a word, Sayori stood up and wiped her eyes.

"Sayo-"

Before the boy could do anything, Sayori looked over her shoulder and flashed him one last weak smile before turning around and running off.

"SAYORI! WAIT!" Anon screamed as Sayori vanished into her house. "Sayori…" The boy looked down at the tear stained road. The echoes of Sayori's agonizing scream replaying over and over in his head.

"Sayori…"

The boy stood there staring at the Asoka household for a few minutes, letting the softening glow of the setting sun illuminate him.

He continued standing there.

Soon, the sun disappeared behind the taller houses at the end of the street.

He continued standing there.

The streetlamps around him lit up as the sky around him got darker.

But he continued standing there.

Why did he feel so hopeless?

Why did he feel so…horrible?

Eventually, his trance was snapped by the low hum of a car pulling up behind him.

"Anon?! What are you doing standing in the middle of the road?!" Lisa exclaimed as she clambered out of her car.

Anon slowly turned around to face his mother, his own face lacking any expression.

"Mom…"

"What are you doing? Are you okay?" Lisa asked, visibly concerned. "What happened? Did something happen with Natsuki?"

Suddenly, without warning, Anon rushed into his mother's arms, wrapping his own ones' around her waist tightly. The confused woman was taken completely by surprise.

"A-Ah! A-Anon, what are you-"

"Sniff, sniff…Mom…" Lisa was even more shocked when she heard light sobs coming from her son. Not sure of what to do, she simply did what she knew best.

"There, there my dear…It's okay…it's okay…" Lisa said gently as she rubbed her son's hair. The boy was trembling slightly, but eventually it was hugged out of him. He released himself from the hug and looked at his mother sadly.

"Mom…"

"What happened, my dear? Is it Natsuki?"

"…No…" Anon lied. "It…it went well…It's just…I've been…just so…tired…It's like…my whole life is just…one big chore, you know?"

"Oh don't be so hard on yourself, Anon…Come: Mommy has just the thing to cheer you up!" Lisa beamed as she walked over to the boot of her car. Inside, she took out a large paper bag with a yellow "M" right smack in the middle of it.

"Ah-gee, thanks Mom…that…you know what, that certainly made me feel better…" Anon forced a smile, his mind still stuck twenty minutes ago.

"Well, what are you waiting for then, let's eat!" Lisa smiled as she closed the boot of her car.

"Ah-Of course…I err, I'll be right behind you Mom-I still have things to do"

"In the middle of the road?"

"Well, I have a call to make: Natsuki, she err…forgot something…" Anon lied, clearly not giving a shit anymore.

"Oh, why that's rather thoughtful of you! Alright then, just don't take too long, okay? It's getting quite dark." Lisa relented and disappeared into the house, leaving Anon, once again, by himself.

The boy watched his door for a few seconds before turning back to Sayori's house. The lights were on inside, but it felt anything but warm and homely.

"Sayori…" Anon muttered as he stared at her window on the second floor. Her lights were also on, but Anon had a sinking feeling in his stomach.

Sayori never closes her blinds.

"Maybe I should-No…No that's not what she needs…if anything I'm probably the last person she wants to see right now…" Anon said to himself with discipline. "Okay Mom! I'm done!" he called as he gave his childhood friend's house one last look for the day.

"Please get better Sayori…" Anon whispered before turning around and walking into his house.

…

As the waning gibbous moon reached its peak, the only sounds in the lonely country side were the loud chirping of crickets. The cold night winds blew past the old trees, sweeping loose leaves wherever they went. Under the silent glow of the moon, a car made its way slowly along the equally quiet road.

"Thanks so much for the dinner again, Dean! I-I had such a great time!"

It had been a rather eventful night for Yuri so far. Dean liked the dress she had picked and his eyes didn't go anywhere they weren't supposed too. Dinner was pretty good; Dean even offered to pay, everything just went according to plan.

It was almost too perfect.

"Oh, don't mention it Yuri…" Dean grunted, his eyes fixated on the road. The young man seemed to be slightly distracted throughout the whole journey, which Yuri found odd, considering how lively and chatty he was during dinner, but maybe it was just because it was dark and the road he took wasn't a very well lit one. After all, Dean was going to take her to the top of a mountain to see the stars, something Yuri thought was the most romantic thing ever.

"Erm, we shouldn't stay out too late; the festival's tomorrow, remember?" Yuri warned ahead of time.

"No, yeah; I got it." Dean muttered, his response almost identical to his first one. Yuri was starting to feel a little uncomfortable with the unnatural silence between the two, but her mood improved when Dean started to make a turn.

"O-Oh, a-are we here?" Yuri asked and Dean nodded, his eyes still focused on what was ahead of him. Eventually, the car came to a stop.

"You go on ahead first; I need to sort some stuff out." Dean told Yuri, who was starting to get excited.

"O-Okay…" Yuri said as she slowly got out of the car, while Dean stayed inside and fumbled around with his dashboard.

"E-Eh?"

To Yuri's surprise, they weren't at the top of any mountain or any hill. Instead, she was face to face with a large building. It was well lit, but it had some sort of ominous feeling about it. A large metal gate stood between her and the building.

"Hm? What's this?" Yuri's attention was then drawn to a large sign that was bolted onto the right side of the gate. It took a while, but her eyes soon adjusted to the dim lighting.

"KŌNEN MENTAL HOSPITAL: FOR THE MENTALLY DISABLED CHILDREN"

Yuri's heart skipped a beat.

"D-Dean? Wh-why are we-"

Yuri was interrupted by the sudden revving of an engine behind her. As she turned around, to her horror, Dean's car simply sped off, leaving her alone outside the gate.

As the car disappeared down the road, all Yuri could do was watch, her mouth ajar. She looked like she was more shocked than anything.

"Excuse me dear? Are you here to see a family member?" A voice came from behind Yuri, startling her. Turning back to face the building, she saw a woman in a blue hospital gown. "Are you lost?" The woman asked, sensing that the girl wasn't here to visit a loved one.

All of a sudden, the realization of what just happened hit Yuri like a bag of bricks.

"Miss? Are you okay?" The woman asked as Yuri started trembling. "Do you need me to call anyone?"

Yuri didn't respond. Instead, she slowly lowered herself to her knees and wept bitterly, her cries singing along with the chirping crickets and howling winds.

…

**End of Chapter Thirteen**


	14. Chapter 14: Whirlwind

"ALRIGHT EVERYBODY! ARE YOU READY FOR...FINALE NIGHT?!"

"WOOOOO!"

"THEN...LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!"

"WOOO!"

It was 7pm. Most of the time, people staying this late in school would be heading home for dinner, but not tonight. It was finale night for the most recent batch of freshmen and needless to say, everyone was going wild. There was confetti. There was a disco ball and strobe lights. There were dozens of students with temporary hair dyes and tattoos. Everyone was having a blast.

The rave rocked on for two hours until the emcee walked back up onto the stage.

"Okay guys; you had your fun, now it's time for the dance segment of our finale night. You guys had the whole of yesterday to rehearse the steps, now it's time to show us your moves!"

"Ugh! Not this shit..." A girl groaned from the school floor.

"Shh! Fumi! Not so loud!" Her friend said to her.

"Oh please, Monika...You can't SERIOUSLY be excited for this...Who did you even get partnered with yesterday?" Fumi crossed her arms.

"I don't know; some dweeb?" Monika shrugged.

"Well whoever it was, it sure as hell can't be as bad as MY guy...Girl, he was SO smelly and he kept stepping on my feet; I LITERALLY had to babysit him for EVERY STEP!"

"Hm...At least it wasn't my partner..." A third girl said rather monotonously, causing her two friends to laugh.

"Kisami-You can't complain that your partner wasn't chatty if you yourself don't say a damn word all the time!" Monika laughed, while Kisami responded by shrugging.

"Talking is overrated..." The dour girl rolled her eyes.

"Alright party people! The dance is going to start, so grab yourselves a partner!"

"Ugh! Do we really have to?" Fumi whined.

"Hey, err...Monika?" A squeaky voice came from behind the trio. Monika whirled around to find a skinny boy with dark black hair and her face immediately scrunched up. "Do you...err...maybe want to dance with me?"

Behind her, Fumi gave a revolting look, while Kisami looked as dead as ever.

"Erm...err..." Monika didn't know how to respond. On one hand, she would rather dance with literally anyone else, but on the other, unlike her other friends; she didn't exactly have the heart to tell him so. Suddenly, something grabbed her left hand and pulled her out of her predicament.

"D-Dean?!" Monika looked up in shock to see her orientation group leader swoop in like a superhero. The boy led her to the centre of the school hall where a couple of students had already partnered up.

"Thanks for the save..." Monika smiled gratefully at the tall and handsome boy. Over the course of their three day orientation camp, Monika had gotten rather close to her group leader, something her two friends would not shut up about and even the rest of her class were starting to get on to them. Most of them couldn't stand it, but Monika had never been so in love until now; the way his hair swooshed back and forth, the way his muscles popped ever time he leaned over her; he was literally Prince Charming combined with Cristiano Ronaldo.

"No problem...I could sense the awkward tension from a mile away..." Dean smiled back as the love birds got ready for their dance. A few seconds after they had gotten ready, the speakers started to blast the music. "I hope you're ready..." Monika warned as the two started to dance along to the opening notes.

"Oh; you're gonna have to keep up." Dean smirked.

"We'll see..." Monika sang.

"_Ladies and gentlemen, we've got a special treat for you tonight." _

Meanwhile, back at the corner of the hall, the rejected boy was starting to get desperate as many other freshmen around him started to get partnered up.

"Erm, how about you; you wanna dance?" He turned to face Fumi.

"Eww-no thanks." She held up her hand and slipped away, leaving Kisami.

"_I'm gonna call my friend Olly up here to sing to you ladies."_ As the song approached the first verse, the boy started to sweat.

"Erm-"

"If it makes you feel any better...I'm not gonna dance with anyone..." Kisami stated flatly.

"Ah-well...Ok then..." The dejected boy shrugged and put his hands into his pocket as the crowd started to get into the dance.

"_My name is Olly, nice to meet you can I tell you baby,_

_Look around there's a whole lot of pretty ladies,_

_But none like you; you shine so bright...Yeaaah..._

"Ow! You stepped on my foot!" Monika cried as she jabbed Dean playfully.

"Ahaha! Sorry!" The boy grinned.

"I thought you said you were a dancing expert!" Monika laughed as Dean struggled to get his timing right.

"I am!"

"Okay then expert! Show me your moves!"

"_I just wanna ooh ooh ooh ooh, oh baybeh..._

_I just want you to dance with me tonight!_

_So come one and ooh ooh ooh ooh oh baybeh..._

_I just want you to dance with me tonight!"_

"Anon! Anon!" As the boy watched on from the sidelines, completely demoralised and embarrassed, a shrill cry came from his right. As soon as he saw who it was, he immediately heaved a sigh of relief.

"Oh-Sayori! Thank God you're here!" The boy wiped sweat from his forehead as he grabbed the girl's hands and brought her closer to all the action.

"Ehehe! You wanna dance?" The girl blushed deeply.

"Of course! If you can handle my amazing moves, of course..."

"You goof! Let's go then!" Sayori held her nose high, only for her friend to roll his eyes.

"Well, we should wait for the second verse so we won't mess up the steps. Get ready; here it comes!"

"_We're getting sweaty, hot and heavy in the crowd now,_

_Loosen up and let your hands go down, down!_

_Go with it girl; yeah, just close your eyes! Yeah..."_

Sayori and Anon laughed as they both completely failed the routine; instead, they simply made up their own moves.

"Ha ha! That's not how you do that move!" Anon pointed out as Sayori somehow even failed the Macarena.

"Whatever, dance boy! Show me the moves you so desperately claimed you had."

"Okay: Watch me!"

"_I feel the music going though yo' body,_

_Looking atcha' I can tell you want me,_

_Don't stop; keep moving till' the morning light...yeah!"_

Anon stepped back a few feet and threw himself onto the group, attempting to break-dance, but all he did was spin around on the floor a few times. A few couples around the duo were starting to give them weird looks, but neither of them cared at all.

"HAHAHA! LET ME JOIN!" Sayori squealed gleefully as she threw herself down next to Anon and started spinning on her head. By now, everyone around them were staring at them, but they simply continued rolling around without a care in the world.

"What's all the commotion?" Monika asked Dean mid-dance as shrieks of laughter came from the corner of the hall.

"Who cares; probably some joker messing around..." Dean said, keeping Monika's attention on him. "Anyway, you ready?" Dean asked as the second chorus approached.

"_...we'd be dancing the whole damn night like:_

_Ooh ooh ooh ooh oh baybeh..._

_I just want you to dance with me tonight!"_

"Woah! Look at you go!" Monika exclaimed as Dean amped up his dance moves, moving with vigour. "Alright; impressive...but can you handle...this!" Monika lunged at Dean and started swinging him around as the chorus went into full force.

"WOOOOO!" Monika screamed as the world around her started to get blurrier and blurrier.

"HOLY CRAP!" Dean cried out as they started to get faster and faster.

"_Pretty girl just close your eyes..._

_We can dance all through the night_

_I just want you to dance with me tonight..."_

As the song drew to its last few notes, Monika and Dean eventually came to a stop, both of their heads spinning as they struggled to catch their balance.

"H-Holy shit...pant...that was...wow..." Dean exclaimed, completely out of breath as a thunderous applause erupted throughout the school hall, signifying that finale night was coming to a close.

"Hey err...You want to maybe...get dinner after this..?" Dean asked as the commotion died down. Monika stared at him, completely shut down. It had seemed that his question had caused a brain aneurysm of some sort. "Err...Monika?" Dean raised an eyebrow and Monika's wide-eyed face.

"Erm-Yes! O-Of course..." Monika gasped, finally coming to her senses. There was some prize presentation going on for the most enthusiastic class or the best cheer or whatever, but the two of them were pretty much in a different world.

"G-Great..." Dean smiled bashfully; Monika followed suit and two eventually pulled in for a passionate hug.

This school year is going to be great!

...

"Pant...pant...pant..."

"Miss? You forgot your change!"

"O-Oh-I err...I-I'm sorry!"

"No worries! Have a good night!"

The cab driver gave a wide smile before pulling off.

"Pant...pant...pant..."

Yuri walked up to her house and swung the door open. Her entire body was drenched in sweat and her eyes were darting around randomly. Her body was trembling violently; especially her left arm.

"Welcome back dear! How was your dinner?" Yuna greeted from the living room.

"It went great Mom...Ahahaha..." Yuri laughed nervously and hurried up the stairs before Yuna could even get suspicious. The walk to her room seemed like a marathon, but she reached it eventually.

"Hey big sis! Do you and Dean manage to-" Yuki could barely welcome her elder sister before getting a door slammed in her face. "-make out...Wow...sounds like someone got all hot and steamy...oh well; shouldn't bother her then..." the spunky girl shrugged and walked back to her room.

"Nnggh...hngghh...Hoooh..."

"Look what you've done...I warned you time and time again, but you didn't listen...you brought this on yourself..."

"S-shut up...shut up..." Yuri whispered hoarsely, her makeup completely stained and her eyes starting to get redder.

"At this point, there's only one last piece of advice I can give you..."

Yuri looked over to her desk. Rows of shiny and silvery knives greeted her.

"Haahh...haahh..."

The frantic girl rushed over to her display and pulled all the drawers open. Knives clattered and clanged inside the shelves until Yuri pulled out a small knife with a crimson red handle. A large eye was etched onto one of the sides and on the other was a signature of some kind.

"Sniff...haahh..." Yuri took a deep breath before placing the knife up to her left forearm. Since her dress was sleeveless, it made it all the more easier to do what she was about to do.

"KKSSHHH-AAHAHAH..." The sweaty girl laughed manically in pain and an emotion she never had felt before as the knife sunk into her skin. Blood as red as the handle oozed out and began dripping on the desk and on the floor.

"MMM! NGH!" Yuri continued pulling it down until it reached the bonier side where the skin was thinner. More and more blood began to seep out, but Yuri wasn't finished.

Grabbing her binder, she pulled out her most recent poem and rubbed her bloodied arm all over it, completely smearing the poem.

"Pant...pant...pant...sniff, hooh..." The girl continued to pant heavily as the paper became increasingly soaked with her blood. "Haah...haah...ha-" All of a sudden, Yuri stopped mid-smear and stared at the ruined poem.

"A-Ah!" the girl cried upon realizing what she had just done. "N-No! NO!" In a frantic rush, Yuri tried to clean the blood from her poem, but all it did was smear it more and more until the entire paper was a faded red colour. "N-no...no, no, no, NO, NO!" As Yuri rubbed harder and harder, the paper could no longer withstand it and it tore right down the middle with a sickening rip.

"AH!"

Yuri recoiled in horror upon seeing her destroyed poem. Hours of hard work wasted gone down the drain just like that.

For a few minutes, the girl stared at the shreds of paper. She didn't say a word or move a muscle; she simply stood there, her mouth ajar and her eyes wide with fear, until finally...

"...Sniff...sniff..."

Yuri's manic expression finally broke into a few light sobs, before her weak legs gave way and she fell to her knees, weeping bitterly and shamefully.

"...Sob...sob..."

The girl put her head between her knees and let her hair fall over her face; at that point, she was so embarrassed that she wanted not even the air around her to see her.

...

...

...

"Yuri? We're here!" Yuna pulled up alongside the high school foyer. Banners of every shape and size were hung from almost every railing; every metal bar that you were able to tie a length of rope around, there was a banner hanging from it and it all culminated in the largest banner right smack in the middle with the letters "F", "E", "S", "T", "I", "V", "A" and "L" painted on it in red and black. It was really a sight to behold.

Yuri wordlessly exited the car as Yuna and Yuki continued to survey the foyer. Many students were giving out flyers promoting their own clubs, the guitar ensemble were once again by the main staircase jamming out some tunes; even the anime club had...well...it wasn't something they wanted to see twice.

"Have a great time at the festival, sweetie!" Yuna called out, but Yuri simply vanished into the thick forest of students.

"I think she might have broken up with Dean..." Yuki suggested, her eyes still wide-opened and scanning the banners.

"Yuki! How could you say that?!" Yuna chided as she drove out from the foyer.

"She wasn't in a chatty mood yesterday! I thought she'd be all high and intoxicated but she just slammed her room door shut and turned in for the night!" Yuki recalled to her mother.

"It was close to midnight; she was probably exhausted!"

"Hm: True...I guess I was over thinking things; sorry Mom..." Yuki apologised.

Back in the school compound, Yuri was trying to make her way to the clubroom as fast as possible. However, the stares she had been receiving from every student that she walked past were not doing her any favours.

"I'm just going to go to the club, set my things down and leave...Just get to the club...get to the club..."

Yuri quickened her pace. As she passed through the denser sections of the school building, the stares slowly evolved into sneers and then into whispers. Yuri did her best to hide her face from the public, but it was little use against the giggles and fingers that were laid into her.

"Hey! How was your date, princess?" A girl's voice came from somewhere to her right. Yuri didn't look to see who it was and continued pushing forward. She knew the word would be out sooner or later; she just didn't expect it to be THIS fast.

"I'm so jealous! How come I didn't get invited to a mental hospital?" A boy asked, causing an eruption of laughter. Yuri felt her stomach knot up as the senior's block came into view.

"Almost there...sniff...almost there..."

As Yuri continued her walk of shame, the whispering and laughter got softer and softer, until she was alone in the stairwell. "Okay...I made it..." Climbing up the stairs with heavy panting, Yuri failed to notice the shuffling of footsteps approaching the stairs from around the corner.

...

"Frikin' Sayori probably overslept again!" Natsuki huffed as she pushed the final table into its place. On it were stacks upon stacks of the brochures that Monika had printed containing information about the club, activities, hours and all that good stuff. The table to the right was empty; it was for the cupcakes Anon and Sayori would be bringing over in a while. The table on the left held Monika's binder where all the poems selected for the recital were neatly kept.

"Oh just give her some time, okay? I'm sure she's just...having a hard time transporting so many cupcakes." Monika said, still a little upset by what happened the previous day. Not only that, but her calls weren't answered either and her texts were left unseen.

"Like-I dunno: A gajillion of em'? But still! It's not like they're carrying a warhead or something!" Natsuki complained, derailing Monika's train of thought.

"Will you be angry if they accidentally drop one of your cupcakes?" Monika asked.

"Uh, yeah? It took Anon and I HOURS to make those!" Natsuki snapped.

"Then I'd say they are carrying a warhead."

"Ugh! Fine! I guess it's still early anyway." Natsuki resigned she walked over to the bag of pamphlets Monika had.

"I'm surprised you even came that early; I thought I was the first one here and yet there you were setting up the room. I really appreciate it, Natsuki." Monika commended the petite girl, hoping it would give her a boost of confidence before her performance.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, believe me; I'm only doing this because I don't want to embarrass myself by not being prepared. I had a group presentation last year and NONE of my members had **ANY**thing done and when we went up to present, we had literally NO idea what to do! And you know that part of every failed group project where we laugh internally because we realised how much of a fool we were being?"

Monika shook her head.

"Oh who am I kidding; you NEVER fail group projects." Natsuki scoffed at the perfect student.

"Why thank you, Natsuki." Monika replied sarcastically.

"Anyway-Yeah. I don't want that shit to happen to us, so I practically rushed here the second I woke up. And you should have seen the school pre-seven-thirty; It's a PARADISE: No sounds, no laughter, and no one! It's perfect for studying! Hell-I should come to school earlier if everyday's gonna be like this." As Natsuki went on about the luxury of an empty and peaceful school building, the door to the clubroom suddenly slammed open. Both girls turned, expecting an energetic Sayori to burst in; Monika was more of hoping rather than expecting, but instead, an extremely sweaty and flustered Yuri rushed in and set her bag down on the nearest table.

"Yuri! You're here!" Monika clasped her hangs together, trying to hide her disappointment.

"Hey Yuri!" Natsuki greeted, but to her surprise, Yuri said nothing and instead began unpacking her banners.

"Ah, great! You brought the banners!" Monika smiled nervously after Yuri's less than convincing attitude. "We still have some time before the festival begins so maybe we could-"

Before Monika could finish her instructions, Yuri rushed out of the clubroom as quickly as she had entered. "I-I need to go to the bathroom!" Yuri gasped on her way out.

"-hang them up..." Monika was completely dumbfounded by what she had just witnessed. The president turned to Natsuki for answers, but she too had a look of complete confusion. The roll of banners sat at the table.

"How early did you say you reached again?" Natsuki asked Monika apprehensively.

"A-About seven forty-five..?" Monika answered shakily. This was not the start the club needed for their supposed big break.

"And you didn't notice anything out of the norm?" Natsuki continued.

"No? I came straight here; I didn't even meet up with Fumi or Kisami. Why; you think something might have happened?" Monika queried.

"Judging by how much she's reverted back to her old self, I'd say yes; something did happen. I have an idea of what might have happened...but I have a bad feeling that I'm right for once." Natsuki said gravely.

"If I'm thinking what you're thinking...and you're right...I swear to God...I will actually kill him." Monika seethed.

"You'll have to get in line...I-I should go and find her...oh but you need help with the-"

"No, no, no! I'll be fine. You go look for her; you're closer to her now, right?"

"Erm...I guess so...You're sure you'll be okay by yourself?" Natsuki looked concerned, but was quickly assured by her president.

"I'll be fine, and besides: Anon and Sayori are coming anyway so I won't be alone for long."

"Considering Sayori actually shows up on time...okay I'm SORRY, I'll stop, I'll stop..." Natsuki apologised as she hurried out of the clubroom to catch up with Yuri. Meanwhile, Monika decided to get started on the banners.

"Holy crap, Yuri...these are amazing..." Monika said to herself as she unrolled the banners. As she started setting up the banners, she became more and more awestruck as she unrolled more and more banners. It seemed like each one was more impressive than the last. "God I swear if Dean...hooh...deep breaths Monika; now it's not the time to get frazzled. Banners. Now it's the time to set up the banners."

Monika unrolled another banner. This one had an ink drawing of a koi fish and wavy dark calligraphy lines surrounding it. It gave the banner an almost tranquil feeling to it. "My goodness..." Monika gaped at the banner before hanging it by the whiteboard.

The girl carried on setting up the banners for a few minutes. As the clock ticked closer to eight-thirty, the door swung open once again.

"Oh...hey Monika." Anon greeted as he walked in slowly, his arms full with two large trays of the crown jewels.

Monika stopped herself from slamming her fist into the table. The boy was the last person she wanted to see.

"Oh! Anon! You're here! Where's Sayori?" Monika asked as the visibly tired boy quickly set his tray down, trying her best to once again sound enthusiastic, but it sounded less so the second time round.

"Yeah-She overslept again...that dummy...You'd think that on days this important, she'd try a little harder-" Anon was prevented from finishing his sentence by a look from Monika. "-R-right...Jeez; what's wrong with me, I'm sorry..."

"No-I get it...I do...This whole festival thing has been...it's been hard on all of us...And it's really nice of you to take over Sayori's share of bringing the cupcakes..."

"Yeah I...She wasn't...feeling well so I offered to carry all of it...I know Natsuki suggested otherwise, but...I figured she needed some rest..." Anon said rather hesitantly. Trying to alleviate some of the tension, Monika decided to move on with the conversation.

"I'm just helping Yuri set up her banners. She...she went to the bookstore to buy additional supplies..."

"And Natsuki?" Anon asked, his tone slightly deflated.

"Oh no...Don't tell me something happened with THESE two as well..." Monika thought. "Erm-! She err...she went with Yuri...We actually need quite a lot of stuff so..."

"I see..." Anon replied sadly. "Erm...do you err...need help with those?"

"Oh-no need; I'm almost done anyway. You could help check poems we're gonna recite later; I just want to make sure they're all ready." Monika smiled sweetly and Anon immediately went over to the makeshift display booth where a large binder was opened up. Upon closer inspection, it turned out that all the selected poems were being displayed.

"Jump..." Anon smiled sadly as he flipped to Natsuki's poem. The page had been decorated with pink glitter and drawings of cupcakes. The drawings had a very "Sayori" feel to them.

The boy flipped to the next page and sighed.

"Afterimage of a Crimson Eye...I'm sorry for not reading your book Yuri...I'm so sorry for-I know I didn't...Ah I'll come up with something when she gets back..." Anon fibbed as he struggled to come up with an apology for Yuri. Yuri's page had been decorated with purple coloured glitter and drawings of books in a similar style to the cupcakes before.

"Eh? What's this?"

Anon flipped to his childhood friend's page. The poem on the left page was called "My Meadow", but it was the one on the right that caught his attention.

And it wasn't because it was an amazing poem.

"M-Monika..?" Anon's breath shaked as he called out to the club president, his eyes, which were getting wider, still fixated onto the page.

"Hm? What is it?" Monika asked, yearning no response from the now trembling boy. "Anon, what-" Monika froze as soon as she saw the poem. "H-Holy Christ..." The girl gasped. "A-Anon...I-I think this is a-"

Monika could barely begin her sentence before Anon rushed out of the clubroom. This seemed to be a recurring theme today and not a good one at that. For the second time this morning, Monika was left alone in the clubroom.

...

"Yuri? YYUUURRRIII? YURI!" Natsuki screamed as she dashed down the halls towards the infamous stairwell. "YURI?! YOU IN THERE?!" The petite girl called out louder as she approached the girl's toilet.

"A-AH! N-NO! Please..." A girl's screams echoed out from the toilet. As usual, there was not a single soul around the contaminated zone.

"YURI!" Natsuki shouted as she dashed through the toilet door. "LEAVE HER ALONE FUMI!"

Natsuki stopped dead in her tracks.

"N-Natsuki!" Yuri cried. She was sprawled in a corner of the toilet, tears streaking down her face. Based on how her arms were held, it seemed like she had been defending herself from her assailants.

Now, the assailants; That was the important part.

"A-Ah! N-Natsuki!" A very shocked and worried Mabel cried out.

"We weren't-! Th-this isn't what it looks like!" Maple exclaimed, equally as shocked and terrified.

"...Wh-wha..." Natsuki was at a loss for words. She simply stood there, too stunned to say anything.

"Natsuki..." Mabel rushed to the wide-eyed girl's side and held her left arm. Her twin sister followed suit and grabbed her left arm. "Y-You have to believe us-Th-this isn't what it looks like!"

"Y-Yeah!" Maple nodded nervously. "W-we were just...W-We heard some screaming coming from the toilet!"

"Yeah and when we rushed inside, we saw Yuri err-err-err bleeding!"

"Yes-bleeding! Sh-she said she a-accidentally cut herself on a knife when she took out err...err-err-"

"-Tissue papers f-from her pocket!"

"We rushed in to help her!"

"Yeah!"

Maple and Mabel stared nervously at their friend, but she seemed more focused on what was on Yuri's exposed forearms. It was clear to her that while some of the cuts might be from her now exposed assailants, the rest were a different story and from a different person. Yuri, upon noticing Natsuki's stares, quickly pulled her sleeves down and hid her face in guilt, embarrassment and shame.

"Natsuki?" Maple asked nervously. "You believe us, right? Quick-We need to get Yuri to the nurse!"

"Yeah! Come Maple-Help me lift her up!" Mabel said as the twins detached themselves from Natsuki and rushed over to Yuri, who slunk back in her corner, holding her hands up once again. "Natsuki? Come on; we have to help her!" Natsuki walked over wordlessly, still processing the image in her head.

"Natsuki? Come on; let's go!" Mabel cried as she reached down to pull Yuri up, only for the trembling girl to let out a yelp and shrink further back. Natsuki stared at the open toilet stalls and then back at the scene in front of her. All of a sudden, all the pieces came together in Natsuki's head. Everything she had noticed about Yuri during the past two weeks; it all clicked together like connector pieces.

Natsuki looked back at the scene, still staring blankly at nothing.

"Natsuki! What are you doing?! Yuri's gonna bleed out if you don't-"

"That isn't her knife..." Natsuki muttered.

"What?!" Mabel squeaked.

"That is not Yuri's knife." Natsuki said a little louder.

"What do you mean it's not her knife?!" Maple asked, her nervousness increasing tenfold.

Natsuki didn't answer. Instead, she bent down to pick up the small cutting knife. The handle was a faded black with rusty bolts holding the two halves of said handle together. The blade was a dull grey and it looked like it had not been sharpened in years. There wasn't any blood on the blade, but Natsuki was anything but relieved.

"Why are you staring at that stupid knife?!" Maple screeched.

"Sigh...Maple...Mabel..." Natsuki closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying her best to stay composed.

"WHAT?!" The twins shrieked in unison.

"The stalls are stocked with toilet paper...Why would Yuri need tissues?"

The twins' eyes grew wide at the same time and their faces went even paler then they were before. But Natsuki wasn't done.

"And you say she accidentally cut herself..? Then where's the blood on the knife? Where's the blood on the floor, or in the stalls? Or any soaked up toilet paper to stop the bleeding?"

Maple's and Mabel's mouth hung ajar. Mabel, realizing that the gig was up, decided to abandon the lie entirely. Instead, she walked up to Natsuki angrily. Her twin sister, however, remained subdued.

"Well, it; not our fault anyway! She's the one who freaked us out! Why the hell would you be friends with such a...pathetic and worthless human being?!" Mabel roared, making Yuri jump. Natsuki, however, remained unflapped and met Mabel's piercing gaze.

"You see Mabel..." Natsuki stared, her tone awfully menacing. "...That's where you're wrong. So wrong. I see her for who she really is: This girl here, the one you almost sent to the infirmary, she is the most genuine friend I have ever met. She's kind and generous and she doesn't give a fuck what other people think. Sure; she's worried about scaring other people, no thanks to you, but she doesn't change herself for that; she's still the weird and unconventional girl I know and love and she doesn't give two shits about you or your stupid opinions. She doesn't! And not just you; the whole rancid, putrid, GARBAGE school...And now, I see who YOU truly are; a lying, two-faced, pathetic fraud...BOTH OF YOU!"

The twins jerked slightly at Natsuki's sudden raising of voice. Mabel was now no longer acting intimidating. In fact, she looked just as scared as her sister, if not more.

"It all makes sense now...And you are right about one thing; It IS my fault for being too stupid to realize that you two bitches have been making my friend's life a living hell...It is my fault for falsely accusing Fumi and Kisami of doing this..; not even they are capable of doing something this...horrific and appalling..."

Natsuki stopped her rant halfway and looked the twins dead in the eye.

"You two...You both better understand this..." Natsuki whispered softly, her breath shaking as she did so. "...If...I ever see the two of you near her ever again...I will put you both UNDER the ground...do you two hear me..?"

Maple and Mabel stared fearfully into the serious girl's eyes. It was a side of Natsuki they had never seen before.

"DO YOU TWO HEAR ME?!" Natsuki barked, causing the twins to yelp in fear.

"Y-YES! W-WE HEAR YOU!" Maple cried. "P-PLEASE DON'T TELL ANYONE!"

"GET OUT OF MY SIGHT! WHETHER I TELL ANYONE OR NOT IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!"

Without whimpering another word, the twins hurried out of the toilet, leaving Natsuki standing over a helpless Yuri, who was still snivelling away.

"How did this happen?" Natsuki asked Yuri, her back still facing her. When Yuri didn't answer, Natsuki turned around to see that the poor girl was cowering in shame and clutching her left arm with her right. She was trembling violently and her messy hair was covering her tear-stricken face. Seeing her in such a sorry state brought Natsuki back to last Friday, but here it was even worse know that she knew what Yuri had been hiding from her all this time.

"Yuri..." Natsuki started when she realised the girl wasn't responding. "...How did this happen?"

Yuri looked up from her hair in fear, her eyes still glistening with tears. Her lips were quivering, as if she wanted to say something, but was too ashamed to do so.

"Well...they were right about one thing..." Natsuki said as she walked over to the whimpering girl. "...We do need to get you to the nurse."

"N-NO!" Yuri screamed and then immediately returned to hiding in her corner.

"Oh COME ON, Yuri! I saw your scars; you can't hide them anymore! You need to get treated before you get an infection!" Natsuki raised her voice and reached in to hold Yuri up, only for Yuri to slink back further. "Ugh!" Natsuki groaned in frustration. "Let's...go! Let's go! Let's..." Natsuki tried pulling on Yuri's right arm, but the girl simply refused to budge. "You know what? If you stay here, when school actually starts, people are going to come in here and see you like this! Is that what you want?!"

"You and I both know that no one comes in this toilet." Yuri muttered from underneath her hair.

"UUU-! FINE! YOU WIN! NO NURSE!" Natsuki relented in a huff before sliding down to the floor next to Yuri. "At least let me see them..." The frustrated girl pleaded.

"..." Yuri said nothing and went back to clutching her left arm.

"...Sigh...Look; I won't say anything, okay? I just need to access the situation." Natsuki tried again, this time with a more understanding tone.

"B-But they didn't do anything! Really! These are all old!" Yuri lied, leaving out her most recent episode.

"Will you just let me see them? Please? You could be really hurt! You can get an infection!" Natsuki demanded.

"But I already told you; they've healed! I won't be getting an infection, I promise!" Yuri protested once more.

Natsuki looked at her friend sadly. Seeing her this way; so helpless and so...vulnerable, it was enough to make her choke up slightly. "Why?" The girl asked sadly.

Yuri looked at Natsuki, confused.

"Why would you...do this to yourself, Yuri? Just...why? I know you said it was a long time ago, but I still need to know why! What made you do it? Was it them? Kei? Fumi? Who?"

The purple-haired girl continued staring at her friend in fear until finally relenting. If she claimed all of them were old, she could at least tell whatever left that was the truth.

"All-All of them..." Yuri conceded, while Natsuki slumped her shoulders in disappointment.

"Wh-what did they do? Was it just Maple and Mabel?"

Yuri nodded.

"And the rest didn't do anything? Not even Kei?"

Another nod.

"Jesus..." Natsuki gasped slightly, realizing what her "friends" were capable of. "...And is that all?"

"Y-Yes!" Yuri spurted out, leaving out the...other...factor...

Natsuki looked at Yuri with an unsure expression on her face. She knew that there was something else Yuri was leaving out, but considering how much she did leave out; getting anything more from her was impossible. This was good enough for now.

"We'll talk about this more when you feel like it...but for now you cannot hurt yourself like this ever again, okay? I won't let you!"

Yuri looked at Natsuki. She had a serious look on her face and Yuri knew better than to disagree at a time like this. "O-Okay..."

"Do you promise not to? Not for me, but for you; this right here is NOT healthy and is NOT helpful. Do you swear on your heart not to do this to yourself ever again?" Natsuki said firmly. The broken girl stared back for a few seconds before finally nodding silently.

"Thank you..." Natsuki said, a look of relief washing over her face. "Come on...Let's get you back to the club..."

"O-Okay..." Yuri said nervously as she slowly hoisted herself up with help from Natsuki.

"Do you wanna wash your face first?" Natsuki asked as Yuri steadied herself to her feet.

"Y-Yes...I-I probably should..." Yuri answered and walked over to the nearest sink and began splashing her face with water. After a while, the girl turned off the tap and wiped her face dry with a few paper towels. Her eyes were still aching red, but at the very least her tear stains were gone.

-RING-

"Ah-Just in time!" Natsuki noted as the first bell went off.

"O-Oh no!" Yuri cried, becoming worried again. "W-We missed assembly!"

"Ah who cares about that? It's the school festival; do you really think they'll be so uptight about this on such an eventful day?"

"Ah...I guess you're right..." Yuri replied. "Th-then we b-better get going...M-Monika probably n-needs our help..."

"Sure!"

"O-Oh! And c-can you don't tell Monika...or the others? P-Please..." Yuri begged. "I-I don't need any more people finding about...about this..."

"...Sigh...They'll have to know sooner or later...you know that, right?"

"I-I know! J-Just...Not today...not now..."

"Again, whenever you feel that you're ready." Natsuki agreed.

"O-Okay..." Yuri timidly brushed her hair as the two girls exited the restroom and headed back to the Literature Club. From where they were, they could just see the corridors leading out of the hall. They were packed to the brim with lines of students making their way down to the parade square where the booths and food stalls had already been set up.

"Jeez. I would not want to be there right now; I would get suffocated to death!" Natsuki noted.

"M-Me too..." Yuri replied, a bit of her motivation returning.

"Hey Monika! We're back!" Natsuki greeted as the two girls re-entered the clubroom. However, the president seemed to be in lower spirits compared to how she was twenty minutes ago. "Are you kidding me; you too?! How am I the most optimistic one here?!"

"Ah-I-I'm fine; Natsuki...I just...Putting all of these banners up is...tiring...ahaha!" Monika laughed nervously.

"O-oh...I-I'm sorry!" Yuri apologised.

"Oh-No! It's not your fault, Yuri! Are you okay? You don't look too good yourself." Monika said worriedly upon seeing her club mate's ragged and dishevelled look.

"I-I'm fine Monika!" Yuri replied nervously, while looking at Natsuki for help.

"Yeah-She just had a slip in the girl's bathroom." Natsuki came to Yuri's aid, but Monika was still not convinced.

"Are you sure? You looked pretty flustered earlier..."

"I-I did?!N-No I-I wasn't at all..." Yuri lied, starting to get more anxious. Thankfully, Monika seemed to finally let it go.

"Okay then...Well...Has assembly ended? I was kinda preoccupied to hear the bell ring."

"Yeah, it ended. And hold on!" Natsuki suddenly crossed her arms. "Where are Anon and Sayori?! Are they seriously THIS late?!"

Monika gulped. Something tells her that revealing the contents of Sayori's poem would bring more harm than good, especially at a time like this.

"Erm...S-Sayori left..." Monika stumbled over her lie, making Natsuki raise an eyebrow of concern. Even Yuri managed to emerge from her hair out of curiosity. "S-Sayori left s-something at home...a-and Anon went back to help her..."

"Wait-Anon was here?!" Natsuki exclaimed, but immediately remembered what happened the previous day and quietened down. "I-I mean, I-I knew that; Th-the cupcakes are literally over there! I-It's not like I'm w-worried about him or anything..."

"I-I do wish S-Sayori would take this a little more seriously..." Yuri noted. Natsuki immediately turned to her friend in horror after hearing that, while Monika looked like something in her had snapped.

"What?!" The club president glared at a surprised Yuri.

"A-Ah!" Yuri yelped at Monika's sudden reaction.

"Yuri, if you do not know the full story, don't say anything!" Monika spat, causing Yuri to jump again.

"I-I'm sorry!" Yuri whimpered, forcing Natsuki to once again mediate the situation.

"Look; why don't we all just...dial down our emotions, okay?" Natsuki held up hands up, signalling that it was time for everyone to relax. Monika looked guilty as she bit her lip and looked down, while Yuri turned red in embarrassment and hid behind her hair for the nineteenth time today. "Monika, Yuri was just concerned that we wouldn't be well prepared for the festival, and Yuri, maybe Sayori got into...some trouble? Maybe she tripped...like you?"

Yuri lowered her head in shame. "Uuu...Y-You're right Natsuki...H-How could I be so insensitive!"

"Nonono-That's not what I-"

"Uuu...I'm so sorry Monika..."

"Frikin-! Grrrr...God-I suck at these! I like how the only person that is able to calm us all down is the only one who hasn't been here yet!" Natsuki raised her arms up in defeat.

"You did a good job, Natsuki!" Monika tried to sound encouraging, which seemed to work on the frustrated girl.

"Thanks..." Natsuki grew slightly flustered at Monika's compliment before turning back to Yuri. "It's not your fault, alright? I know you were just looking out for the club..."

"I'm sorry for snapping at you, Yuri." Monika apologised as well. "I-I don't know what came over me and you didn't deserve a scare like that...But Sayori..." Monika gritted her teeth and clenched her fists tightly. "...She has...Maybe we should be more thoughtful towards others in the future. Like I said; we don't know the full story, so..."

"I-I understand now, Monika...I'll be sure to think more carefully next time..." Yuri nervously played with strands of her purple hair. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the club tension had finally died down.

"Now!" Monika clasped her hands together. "Do you two want to go and explore the festival? I can hold the fort down while Anon and Sayori make their way over here."

"I don't mind." Natsuki nodded at Monika's proposition. "I suppose we can take shifts; Yuri and I can explore for the first two hours while you wait for Anon and Sayori, then they come back later and we all meet back here for lunch Sound good?"

"That does sound like a plan." Monika smiled. "I'll let them know about your schedule when they arrive. You two have fun!"

"Alright then! Bye Monika!" Natsuki waved.

"W-Wait!" Yuri chirped up suddenly, causing Monika and Natsuki to look at her with confused expressions on their faces. "I-I...I think I would rather stay here..."

"Oh...Are you sure, Yuri?" Monika asked, looking concerned again.

"Y-Yeah...I'm sure..." Yuri looked down sadly, fiddling with her hair.

"Actually Monika, why don't you go and enjoy yourself first; I'll keep Yuri company." Natsuki offered, seeing that there was no real point going out there alone. Monika had her clique anyway, so it would make more sense for her to go and find them first.

"Erm...okay; I suppose there's no real difference in whether who goes first...If anything happens, just call me, yeah?" Monika said as she got up from her seat.

"Yeah, you got it." Natsuki waved her pink phone.

"Alright then...I'll see you two in two hours. Oh-And text me too when Sayori and Anon arrive." Monika remembered as she headed out the clubroom door.

"Yep! Will do."

"Okay. Bye girls!"

"Bye!"

"Bye..."

And with that, Monika departed the clubroom to look for her clique. Feeling completely drained after that entire morning, Natsuki and Yuri took a well deserved seat opposite each other.

"Booh..." Natsuki let out a huge breath of air. "Boy, am I beat...You want a cupcake? We still have some time before people actually make their way up here."

"That would be nice, thank you...Oh-That reminds me! I have to set up the tea as well!" Yuri exclaimed as she rushed over to the closet.

"Hey, take your time, alright? Here: I'll help you with it." Natsuki smiled as Yuri opened the closet door.

"Th-thank you, Natsuki..." Yuri meekly thanked her friend as the two girls started to organise the tea set. "Erm, Natsuki?"

"Hm?" Natsuki grunted, her back facing Yuri as she slowly assembled the little teacups.

"D-Do you know what time the poetry recital would be?"

"Hmm...Oh-there's a copy of today's schedule on the teacher's desk that Monika left for us; you can read it there."

"Oh...thank you..." Yuri set her teapot down and walked over to the teacher's desk. Apparently the poetry recital would be at two-thirty, which was the second last time slot for the festival. Sharing timeslots with it were...

"...Fencing and the Dance Committee... O-Oh dear..." Yuri sighed as she read the festival timetable.

"Why, what's wrong?" Natsuki asked as she danced over, having finished setting up the teacups.

"It-it's just...Our club shares performances with some of our school's most popular clubs! Wh-what if everyone goes to these two clubs instead!" Yuri said, clearly worried.

"Oh, don't worry so much, Yuri; I'm sure there'll be people that visit our club!" Natsuki said, trying to reassure her friend.

"Yeah? Like who?" Yuri asked, still not convinced.

"I mean, I don't know, but surely with three hundred over students; some are bound to get bored of seeing two people in space suits not actually killing each other and the rest can't fit in the dance studio; maybe they'll come over here and give us a chance!" Natsuki explained.

"Yeah, but...we are on the fourth floor..." Yuri rebutted.

"Well, maybe they're in the mood for getting fit today. Oh come on Yuri, I'm sure there'll be at least ONE person that turns up. Look: if no one turns up at all, I'm going to buy you a novel for your birthday, alright?"

"Well...It's umm...It's tomorrow...huhu..." Yuri laughed nervously, while Natsuki seemed to be slightly surprised.

"Wait, really? No way! Well, happy early birthday, Yuri!" Natsuki grinned, causing Yuri to blush slightly.

"O-Oh my...Th-thank you Natsuki...It means a lot to me..." Yuri timidly played with her hair.

"Aw shucks, come here you!" Natsuki giggled at Yuri's shyness and cheekily wrapped her arms around her friend.

"A-ah! N-Natsuki!" Yuri was shocked at first, but quickly reciprocated the hug with a warm smile of her own. "Th-this does feel nice..." She noted as she felt Natsuki's soft, warm breaths on her chest.

"Don't tell the others about this, you got it?" Natsuki warned as she released herself from the hug. "So I take it that Dean's taking you out again?"

Yuri's face immediately fell as she hid behind her purple barricade. No words came out of her mouth; just trembles and quivers.

Natsuki's face feel shortly after, her brain slowly but surely connecting the dots.

"...Now I know why you went into the toilet in the first place..." Natsuki gravely noted as she looked away sadly.

"N-Natsuki! It-It's not that! W-We-"

"Did something happen last night? Did it just not work out, or..?" Natsuki asked, pressing for an answer out of the shaking girl.

"...I...I-I..." Yuri fumbled over her words; her head freefalling into a whirlwind of emotions as last night's events came swirling back through her brain.

The chirping of the crickets.

The dim light of the guard post.

The revving of an engine.

"YURI!" Natsuki exclaimed as the purple-haired girl fell to the floor, her hands covering her face as she shook violently. "Jesus Christ-Yuri! Wh-wha..." The exasperated girl could only look on helplessly as her friend was reduced to a crumbling mess, weeping bitterly on the floor.

...

"What do you mean "Prank"?!" Monika asked, raising her voice.

"Prank! You know-Jeez, why are you getting all up in my face for?!" Fumi retorted, causing Monika to back away slightly.

"S-Sorry!" Monika composed herself. "As I was saying...What do you mean by prank? What did he do?"

"It's honestly really fucked up...Like I know I said I hated Yuri...but what he did...No girl should ever have to go through something like that." Fumi stated.

"Go through what? Fumi-What did he do?" Monika asked again.

"He took her out to a mental hospital and left her there in the middle of the night. At least that's what I managed to hear from all the gossip." Kisami replied.

"So fucked up, right? I told you he was up to no good!" Fumi exclaimed. Monika stared at the two girls in disbelief, her mouth hanging ajar.

"Wh-wha..?" Monika gasped.

"Yep. That's essentially the whole story..." Fumi held up her hands. "That guy shouldn't be allowed to date."

"Where the fuck is he right now?" Monika asked; her tone laced with venom.

"Should be with his class at the basketball court; they're setting up some Nerf activity this year if I'm not mistaken." Kisami noted, but Monika was already dashing down the hallway.

"DON'T DO ANYTHING TOO RASH!" Fumi shouted after her.

"Fucking...pant...pant...Sorry! Excuse me! Coming through guys!"

"Hey Monika!"

"Woah! Where's she going?"

As Monika sprinted through the corridors and hallways, every student stopped to say hi. After all, who wouldn't waste a chance to greet the most popular girl in her level?

Monika wasn't responding though; she simply brushed, pushed and shoved her way past everyone in her path. She jumped down the stairwell two steps at a time. She didn't pay any attention to the performing arts clubs doing whatever they were doing; she didn't even stop for a free sample of the delicious fried squid the school was famous for selling!

"Pant...pant...stupid fucking Dean...pant...I swear...pant...when I get my hands on you...pant...I'm gonna...pant...pant...I'm gonna fucking kill you...pant..."

By the time Monika reached the basketball court, her uniform was completely drenched in sweat and her oversized bow was close to getting undone. The classes gathering for the Nerf shootout all stared at her as if she was naked, but Monika was only focused on one thing.

"Dean! DEAN!" Monika hollered at the top of her lungs, causing everyone inside to turn and look.

"Oh hey Monika! What brings you here?" Kenzo, the chairperson of Dean's class, greeted. Almost everyone was smiling and joking, but Dean had his hands in his pockets and was looking guilty as sin.

"It's a good thing you came; Dean has an amazing story to tell you!" Dean's classmate Eisen beckoned over, but Monika ignored him and pushed straight into Dean's face. The young man looked like he'd rather be anywhere but the indoor sports hall.

"...Um..." Dean muttered, shuffling in his feet uncomfortably. The rest of the basketball court soon quietened down as everyone stopped setting up their booths to watch the situation unfold. Kenzo, Eisen and the rest of Dean's class backed away, leaving both Dean himself and Monika in the spotlight.

Monika glared right into Dean's eyes. The young man was starting to sweat, but he kept his cool and stared back.

"..."

A few seconds later and the situation was still the exact same. Everyone stood in their places staring while the two people they were staring at stared at each other.

"...Pst! Kenzo!" Eisen whispered to his buddy. "What's happening?"

"I don't know!" Kenzo whispered back. "I think she's pissed..!"

By now, students from the neighbouring Art Block and the track were starting to come over as well. Whispers transferred back at forth between them as they came over to see what the commotion, or lack thereof rather, was.

The two students continued staring at each other as if they each had a mole on their forehead.

"I really hope Monika beat the shit out of him! What he did was SO messed up!" One girl whispered to her friend.

"I think they're gonna kiss..." Another boy whispered to his group while they snacked on churros.

"Do you think I can hit that cup from here?"

Dean took a deep breath. He knew from the start that nothing he said could change anything. He was going to get nailed whether he liked it or not, but that didn't stop him from at least trying to explain his case.

"...Monika listen-"

"STOP."

The entire audience jumped slightly, including Dean.

Monika stared Dean dead in the eyes. From a certain angle she looked like she wanted to kill him, from another she looked like she was ready to start crying. Either way, things weren't looking good for the young man.

"O-Okay..." Dean relented as he prepared himself for the barrage.

"What. The hell. Were you thinking?" Monika asked slowly, her tone ice cold and dead serious.

"Monika; look. I'll explain everything, okay? Just not here-"

"You do not have to explain anything!" Monika snapped, her face red with fury. "How the hell could you do something like that to her?! She loved you!"

"I know! I know...And I loved her too-"

"BULLSHIT!" Once again, Dean was unable to finish his sentence. "If you TRULY loved her, you wouldn't have done what you did! Even if it was a "prank"!"

"It was a dare..." Dean finally admitted, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably. A few girls from around the basketball court frowned, some of the boys stifled their laughter, but everyone had their eyes on the young man.

"That's even worse! And let me guess..." Monika turned to Kenzo and Eisen and the rest of Dean's classmates. "...It was you shitheads..."

"Yep." Kenzo admitted.

"Guilty." Eisen raised his right palm.

"I knew the two of you would be sick enough to come up with something like that, but YOU!" Monika returned her attention to Dean. "How could you agree to this?! You lied to me! DID YOU EVEN LOVE HER AT ALL?!"

"I DID, OKAY?!" Dean roared. "I LOVED HER LIKE I DID NO ONE ELSE BEFORE! But I'm a coward and I couldn't bring myself to tell her...or them...She doesn't deserve me..."

"You're damn right she doesn't! A mental hospital?! What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

"They were going to expose her! What was I supposed to do?!" Dean cried is exasperation.

"Expose what? What were the two of you going to do?" Monika turned back to Eisen and Kenzo demandingly.

"Erm...well..." Eisen rubbed his hands together nervously.

"SAY IT. WHAT."

"They were going to spread the rumours..." Dean answered Monika's question for them. Kenzo and Eisen immediately shifted their gaze to the ground as Monika glared at them. "Look; I'm truly sorry, Monika...I did want it to happen like that."

"I'm not the one you should be apologising to."

"Ah..."

With that ice cold statement, Monika turned around and walked off.

"M-Monika! Wait!" Dean called out after her, while the rest of the basketball court continued looking on; too stunned to resume their setups. Monika continued walking away, ignoring Dean's calls. "Monika..." Dean eventually caught up to the girl and grabbed her hand, only for it to be violently pulled away.

"Do NOT touch me like that, you sick FUCK." Monika spat. "I do not wish to know what the rumours those two mouth breathers were talking about, but let me tell you this right here, right now: Even if they are true, whatever they are, you have no right to judge her for it."

"But I didn't! I had to stop them from getting out and spreading!" Dean pleaded.

"By driving her to a mental hospital in the middle of the night?! What if she got kidnapped?! Hurt?! I don't care that it was to prevent the rumours from spreading; you could have gotten her into trouble! YOU'RE LUCKY SHE EVEN GOT OUT OF THERE AT ALL!"

"WELL WHAT THE FUCK WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO?!" Dean screamed in frustration.

"ANYTHING BUT THAT!"

Dean opened his mouth slightly, but any words that wanted to come out immediately retreated after seeing Monika's piercing glare. The two students continued standing there for a few seconds before Monika finally delivered her sinister message.

"Do not come near us ever again." The livid girl stated coldly before walking off. Dean stood there helplessly as he watched Monika slowly walk down the path leading to the canteen. "I can't...not like this...not yet..!" The young man thought. "Monika! Please!"

"Did you not hear what I just said?!"

"I did...I did...I just...I just need to see her-"

"Over my dead fucking body!"

"Listen! I love her a lot! Please! I need to know she got out of there okay..." The young man, sensing that his words weren't getting through to Monika, collapsed to his knees and begged. "...P-Please...sniff...I won't be able to live with myself if she isn't okay...I loved her so much...so dearly...She's one of the most genuine people I've ever met...sniff...Monika please; I'm begging you...She doesn't have to forgive me-none of you do! And if she refuses...you'll never have to see me again, I promise! Just...give me the chance to at least talk to her...sniff...oh God...oh God what have I done..."

Monika looked at Dean as he knelt on the ground, snivelling pathetically. A part of her wanted to leave him here in self-pity, but another part of her felt awful if Yuri didn't get her much deserved closure.

It was an impasse needless to say.

"Sniff...sniff..." Dean hung his head in shame, waiting for Monika's verdict.

"Ten minutes..."

Dean looked up, his eyes glistening with tears under the morning sun. "Wh-What..?" Even he was unable to believe that Monika was giving him one last chance.

"But let me be clear." Monika squatted down to Dean's level and whispered into his ear. "If she does not want to see you, you will not be getting those ten minutes...Do you understand me?"

Dean nodded, relieved. "Th-Thank you, Monika..." The young man wiped his eyes.

"And after those ten minutes, we better not see you ever again." Monika warned again.

"I can do that..." Dean agreed and the two started their trek back to the Literature Club.

"Woah...That was something..." Kenzo said to Eisen as they watched the duo walk off.

"I know, right? Welp: Back to work I guess."

As soon as Monika and Dean disappeared behind the canteen walls, the rest of the audience immediately returned to setting up their booths and stalls.

"This is gonna make headlines in like the next two days, I swear." Eisen noted as he stacked a few solo cups on top of one another.

"I'm sure it already did pal." Kenzo patted his buddy on the back. "I'm sure it already did..."

...

...

...

"Oh Monika! Thank goodness you're back!" Natsuki rushed to the door after seeing Monika arrive. "I don't know what to do! Yuri just started crying again and I tried calling you but-" The frantic girl stopped upon seeing Dean walk in behind Monika, his head held low and his hands in his pockets. Yuri, on the other hand, hid her head further behind her hair, looking away miserably. "What's he doing here?" Natsuki asked cautiously, sensing the already built up tension in the air.

"Yuri?" Monika called the purple-haired girl who was still hiding away. Timid as ever, she eventually peeked out from behind her curtain of hair, her eyes barely visible. "Dean here has something to tell you."

Yuri turned back and hid once more. Her body was starting to tremble, but to everyone's surprise, she muttered out an extremely weak "O-Okay..."

"Alright. And I'm sorry for not picking up your call, Natsuki; I had...err...a bit of a situation."

"That's fine..." Natsuki responded, not even looking at her club president. Her eyes were on Yuri and the approaching Dean.

"Yuri..." Dean said softly as he approached the quivering girl. As he got closer, Yuri turned away more and pulled her arm to her other side. Dean could only stare helplessly. "Yuri...Will you please...look at me?"

Slowly but surely, Yuri timidly turned around, but kept her face hidden. Natsuki and Monika stared wordlessly at the both of them, waiting for everything to unfold.

"Yuri..." Dean began. "...I know you...I know you're having some...feelings about seeing me..."

The timid girl said nothing.

"...Um...Well...Listen...I'm so, SO sorry Yuri...I know you'll probably never want to speak to me ever again; let alone forgive me...and that's fine...I probably won't forgive myself either...But I just wanted to say that..." Dean paused for a second to collect his thoughts. "...Well...Let me just start by saying that...I love you a lot. I know that's not what you want to hear, but it's true. I love you deeply. You're the most amazing friend I have ever met in my entire life; no one understands me like you. You don't care that I'm a jock or affiliated with...well...people you do not like...And you're always being yourself...There is no one like you, Yuri. But..." The young man took a deep breath. From behind him, he could sense Monika's piercing gaze, as well as Natsuki's. He had a feeling the petite girl would have a few choice words for him after his confession, but it had to be done.

"...What happened last night...I...I didn't want it to end like that...I'm not making any excuses, but...It started out as a dare with my friends...I had no idea I would end up falling head over heels for you...and when they discovered that I wanted out...they threatened to spread the rumours they discovered about...the..." Dean struggled to blurt out the last word. "...p-pen..."

Yuri immediately turned away, her face burning up.

"Ah...Well, I didn't believe them, but I didn't want you to suffer from these stupid rumours...I'm sorry for...doing what I did...But I had to...I didn't want to lose you either..; you mean the world to me...but I just...I see now that either outcome has been...unfavourable for you..." Dean hung his head, tearing up again. "...Sniff...I wanted to tell you...but I was afraid you would leave me...I did love you, Yuri...I did...sniff...And I was again afraid of my friends finding out and releasing the rumours early anyway. Sniff...I-I...I am extremely ashamed of myself...A-and...sniff...I know you won't forgive me...I just...I just had to let you know why I did what I did...sniff..."

"What did you do?" Natsuki asked.

"I-"

"He took her all the way to a mental hospital and left her there in the middle of the night." Monika answered first.

"WHAT?!" Natsuki's eyes grew wide. Her expression slowly morphed from one of disbelief to one of inconceivable rage and fury. "YOU BASTARD! HOW DARE YOU!" Natsuki charged towards the weeping young man, only to be held back by Monika. "Natsuki! Don't!"

"LET GO OF ME, MONIKA! ARGH!" Natsuki trashed about in Monika's arms, but the club president managed to keep her at bay. "YOU BASTARD!" Natsuki screamed. "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO HER?! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

Dean could only look on in tears as Natsuki struggled to break out of Monika's grasp.

"SHE LOVED YOU! SHE LOVED SO MUCH! WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING?!"

"Natsuki."

Natsuki stopped trashing about and Monika released her grip. Dean turned back to Yuri, his mouth ajar and his face stained with tears. Yuri was looking at him dead in the eyes, her hair parted back. She wasn't crying anymore either.

"Y-Yuri-! I-I-" Dean started, but was quickly interrupted.

"Stop talking, Dean." Yuri said flatly. Dean immediately complied, while Natsuki and Monika watched cautiously. "Dean..." Yuri began. "You have gotten me to open up more in two weeks than anyone has my entire life...You, along with the girls, you have been my closest friends I had ever...and standing up for me in front of Kei, helping me get around school with no problem, keeping me company...And I cannot thank you enough for that...I'm more confident, I'm able to hold my own in conversations, I rarely apologise anymore...Of course, Natsuki has a role in that too..." Yuri flashed Natsuki a small, grateful smile. "...Basically...I am a better person now then I was before."

Yuri's expression quickly morphed into one that was cold and dead. "But you are not. I understand now that you are a pathetic and sad individual only looking to gain popularity. You are insecure and you always want to prove your masculinity to your brain-dead friends. You're afraid of looking like a coward and a fraud. You were all talk when you took up the dare, but when it came down to it, you wanted to chicken out like the small man that you are." As Yuri tore into Dean, the young man could only listen helplessly as his ego slowly but surely shrivelled up until there was nothing left. "When you saw me, you saw someone you could take advantage of; someone you could gain the trust of easily. And it worked. I put you on a pedestal the minute I saw you; you were my knight in shining armour, my saviour, my muse. And I was foolish to think someone really could be that kind and perfect. I was foolish to believe your lies; why a football player would want to spend his time during recess at a basketball court and how you were able to see Natsuki in the cookery room when the one she stored her cupcakes in was used by sophomores; don't think I forgot about that, Dean. I just gave you the benefit of the doubt, when in reality, you knew about all of us the day we met! You studied me and my friends to confirm that I as the perfect target and again, I was too infatuated; too foolish to notice of these signs...So thank you, Dean, for making me realise just how sick and disgusting people can be..." By the time Yuri concluded her rant, Dean was completely floored, as if someone had just told him his parents had died. Monika and Natsuki were completely stunned as well; they had no idea THAT could come out of someone like Yuri. As the now confident girl got up from her seat, she gave one last look to her ex-boyfriend.

"I couldn't have done it without you." She told the young man coldly before walking over to her tea-set.

Dean continued kneeling on the floor. Every word Yuri had just said was like a knife tearing into his heart; stabbing and stabbing away; tearing through atriums and ventricles. Even his brain might have been burnt from that roasting. Eventually, Monika had enough of his wordless hundred-yard stare and grabbed him up.

"Alright. You had your ten minutes Dean. It's time to go."

Dean didn't say anything; he simply complied and pulled himself up; his face completely drained of emotion. As he followed Monika to the front door, Natsuki decided to give a warning of her own.

"If I ever see you come near any of us ever again...I will beat the ever living SHIT out of you."

As Dean disappeared out of the clubroom door, Monika walked back in, a look of nothing but relief cemented onto her face.

"Hoooh! Thank god that's over..." The girl sighed heavily, wiping her forehead.

"Fucking...prick! I can't believe someone can be capable of such...monstrosity!" Natsuki exclaimed. "But holy crap! That was amazing, Yuri! You did it! You stood up for yourself!"

"I-I meant every word I said, though...He genuinely got me to open up more and be more comfortable around people...but I guess he had ulterior motives as well and when the time came...he made his choice...B-But!" Yuri faced both Monika and Natsuki. "I-I should have listened to the both of you...I-I'm sorry..."

"Don't apologise, Yuri; he had us BOTH fooled." Monika admitted.

"Fine! I guess he fooled me too." Natsuki begrudgingly agreed. "But who cares! You don't need him anymore! He's gone! He's not coming back! I'd say it's the perfect time to party!"

"B-But...The festival!" Yuri noted.

"Ah-I think we can afford to relax for a little while. I don't think any of us are in the mood to roam around the school and eat snacks, am I right?" Monika crossed her arms.

"C-Certainly." Yuri nodded in agreement.

"Same here." Natsuki agreed as well.

"Alright! Then I suppose we can unwind a little. I don't know about you guys, but I could go for some tea right about now."

"Coming right up, Monika!" Yuri smiled. "Natsuki?"

"Please."

As Yuri started pouring the tea, Monika dug out her phone to see all the missed calls Natsuki was talking about.

"Jesus, Natsuki-Thirteen?! You called me that many times?" Monika asked, bemused by the number of missed calls she received.

"What? I only called you four times...I kinda gave up and focused more on consoling Yuri." Natsuki explained. "Hey, speaking of snacks; you don't suppose we can ask Sayori and Anon to get us some when they arrive, right?"

Monika's heart skipped a beat.

"No..." The girl said to herself as she quickly unlocked her phone. As she scrolled to read her missed calls, her face went pale.

Four of the calls were from Natsuki. The other nine, however, were all from-

"Anon..."

"Sorry, what?" Natsuki raised an eyebrow. Monika didn't reply; instead, she went to her texts to see even more that were from-

"ANON!" Monika screamed, startling the other two girls.

"Jesus, Monika! What the hell are you screaming about?!"

"W-We need to get to his house...NOW!" Monika slid her phone back into her pocket and began pacing up and down the clubroom. "D-Does anyone know where he stays...ANYONE?!"

"A-Ah...I-I think it's to the left of the side-gate..." Yuri replied nervously.

"TAKE US THERE." Monika ordered a frightened Yuri, who, like Natsuki, had no idea what on Earth just happened to the club president.

"Wait-US?! Monika-what is going on?!" Natsuki demanded.

"JUST GO!" Monika hollered. The two girls, not wanting to start another argument, did as they were told and followed Monika out of the clubroom. As soon as Monika stepped out, she immediately broke into a sprint down the corridor, while Natsuki and Yuri struggled to catch up.

"M-Monika! W-Wait!" Yuri called, but Monika was already running faster than sound itself.

"I don't know about you, but I am going to need a forty minute explanation of what she's doing." Natsuki noted breathlessly.

"S-Same...pant..." Yuri replied, her legs already aching.

...

...

...

Within a few minutes, the three girls had made their way out of the school compound and down the streets neighbouring it, until they drew close to Anon's and Sayori's.

"I-It's just down that bend!" Yuri breathlessly shouted at Monika, who was already at said bend. "M-My goodness...pant...I...pant...I don't think I've ever...pant...ran...pant...this much in my entire life...pant..."

"You're telling me...haah...haah...holy shit...holy shit we made it...we made it..." Natsuki steadied herself by a lamppost as the two struggling girls finally caught up to Monika. "Monika will you tell me what the flip that was all a-"

Natsuki and Yuri looked up from their tired panting and wheezing to see Monika standing in the middle of the road, her back facing them.

"Monika?" Natsuki called out again, but to no response. Confused, the two girls walked up to their club president.

To their surprise, Anon was there too. He was kneeling on the floor and his face was stricken with tears. Behind him were a bunch of police officers running around. Natsuki immediately recognised one of them.

"J-James?" James himself was looking even more distressed than Anon. He was writing something down in a notepad as the other police officers walked in and out of Sayori's house. A few neighbours were starting to gather around, including another familiar face.

"O-Oh...Natsuki! Fancy seeing you again!" Aunty Aiko hobbled up to the three girls. "What seems to be all the commotion? I could hear it all the way from my restaurant!"

Natsuki and Yuri looked at each other. A sense of dread filled them as they slowly crept closer to Monika.

Natsuki was the first to speak.

"Wh-what happened..?"

Monika kept her gaze at a crumbling Anon. The boy was crying softly; his face a form of sorrow and grief she had never seen before. The road was already stained with his tears. As the girl herself started to tear up, she could feel Natsuki's and Yuri's expectant gazes on her, but even she for once could not remain composed. She had to answer them, but she simply could not find an answer at all.

"W-Woah!" Natsuki exclaimed as Monika's body went limp. As she and Yuri reached in to hold her up, the club president could only find the strength to mutter one word.

But oh what a word it was.

"S-Sayori..."

...

**End of Chapter Fourteen**


	15. Chapter 15: Doki Doki

_**Author's Note: SO SORRY for this episode taking longer than expected! I was away on holiday and had to work a nightshift when I got back, but don't worry: The final episode is finally out! I will release on more update chapter this coming week addressing more things about the series, but for now, enjoy and thank you all for the support!**_

"Yawn..."

It was early in the morning; sunlight had yet to emerge and the only noises of the peaceful neighbourhood were the awakening birds chirping along to their morning chores.

"Sniff...I guess five more minutes won't hurt anyone..."

Midori rolled back over in her bed. The night before had been raining heavily which resulted in a rather cooling early morning, perfect for being awake but too tired to move, but rather bad for a Monday morning.

-BEEP BEEP BEEP-

"...Sigh...Okay...okay..."

The disgruntled woman threw her bed sheets off of her and onto the floor before slowly getting up. As she got to her feet, she headed straight for her curtains and drew them back, only to be greeted by nothing but moonlight and the dark street outside.

"Sniff...It feels like the weekend only lasted like four minutes..."

Cracking her neck, the woman trudged on into her bathroom and headed straight for the sink and in a few minutes, she was out, her hair wet and her face much less tired than before.

"Yaawwwnnn...sniff...Breakfast."

Midori walked downstairs to her kitchen and fridge. Upon opening it, her face grimaced slightly before turning into an amused smirk.

"Ham sandwich...and coffee..; Damn, Midori: How'd you come up with such exquisite ideas?"

The woman lazily slid out her packet of ham and carefully placed it on top of a slice of white bread.

"Delicious..."

Within a few minutes, Midori had finished her breakfast and was getting ready to leave for work.

"Gone to work already...breakfast...in...the fridge...Love...Mom. There. She should see this when she wakes up..." The woman said to herself as she finished writing a note to her daughter. "Ok. Work."

Midori walked out of her house and onto her driveway where her car was parked. As she opened the car door, she gave one last look to her house and Sayori's bedroom window. Something felt off about it, but a nine o'clock meeting meant that it would have to wait till later.

"You're just imagining things, Midori...focus...focus..."

With that, the woman climbed into her car and headed for work.

...

...

...

"Good morning Mrs. Asoka."

"Ah...Good morning, Takeshi San! Busy day today?"

"Well, yes, kind of...Bunch of meetings going on...I heard one of the directors is coming over after lunch and everybody is...on edge...You may wanna...watch out for yourself, Mrs. Asoka."

"Of course. Thank you, Takeshi San."

"No problem. Have a good day!"

As Midori walked through the metal detector, Takeshi handed her purse over with a wide smile. Midori then headed straight to the lift landing, where many of her colleagues and co-workers were gathers, ready for the eight hours of work in front of them.

"Hey Midori."

"Morning, Midori."

"Good morning Iro, Alex."

"The meeting is at nine, right?"

"Yep. Be punctual."

"You got it, Maam. Oh-my lift is here."

"See you two later..."

Midori's lift eventually arrived. The tired woman stepped inside it, along with a whole lot of other people.

"Twelve, please."

"Err, level...eight, please."

"Level twenty-two, please."

After a handful of entrances and exits, starts and stops, Midori eventually reached her level and exited, still with a smaller number of other people.

"Mrs. Asoka, the documents you asked me to reprint."

"Ah! Thank you very much, Lizzi." Midori smiled sweetly as she took the binder out from her assistant's hands.

"And your meeting with the board is at nine o'clock, just thought I remind you..." Lizzi smiled awkwardly.

"Err...yeah...I erm...I remember..."

"Erm...g-great then! Is-Is there anything else you need?"

"If I do have anything I'll let you know right away."

"Great! Have a good day, Mrs. Asoka."

With that awkward conversation out of the way, Midori entered her office.

"Midori Asoka, Attorney at Law"

After a rather uneventful morning of sorting files and mundane paperwork, it reached nine o'clock and Midori stepped out of her office and headed straight of the meeting room.

"Alright...so as you can see from our recent analytics..."

It was a mere twenty minutes into the meeting and Midori was already close to nodding off. Her superior was probably talking about stats or something, but that point, she didn't even care anymore; her assistant would've jotted it all down anyway.

"...And actually, Midori?"

"H-Huh?"

The woman was snapped back to reality by her boss. All eyes locked on to her.

"Would you like to go over the statistics for your side?"

"A-Ah...Of-of course..."

Midori slowly got up from her chair.

"Right, so as you can see-"

-Yellow C-A-R-D! I seon neomeumyeon chimbeomiya beep!-

"A-Ah..."

No sooner did Midori begin her analysis than her phone started ringing.

"My apologies everyone...let me just take this phone call..."

The woman hurried out of the meeting room in embarrassment.

"Who the hell could be calling me at this hour...?" She said to herself in annoyance as she fumbled to dig her phone out of her skirt pocket. "...Sigh...Hello? This is her speaking...I...what?"

From inside the meeting room, every pair of eyes were staring through the glass window on the front door.

"...Gasp...gasp...wh-wha..."

Fingers trembled and buckled. Sweat started to bead down and tears started to appear.

The phone was starting to shake violently, but not as violent as the knees.

Inside the meeting room, a young woman turned to look at the slightly older man sitting next to her. Both had a rather annoyed face.

The phone dropped to the floor.

"I-I'm so sorry everyone!" Midori gasped in exasperation as she threw herself into the meeting room and grabbed her handbag. "I-I...I need to go!" Without further explanation, she dashed out of the meeting room, but not before picking her phone up from the dirty carpet floor.

Everyone exchanged glances as the door swayed back shut.

The young woman turned back to her colleague.

"What just happened?"

Down in the parking lot, Midori raced towards her car. Of all the days to park the furthest from the lift landing...

"Pant...pant...pant...grr..." Heaving, tired and completely drenched in sweat, the manic woman finally reached her car.

"Start...godDAMNIT START!"

The car started.

"Okay...breathe...breathe..."

The woman pulled down on her clutch and drove out of the lot...

...then out of the car park...

...then down the road...

...then across the highway...

...

"Anon? Anon!"

Natsuki rushed forward to a kneeling Anon and grabbed his hands.

"What's going on? Why's...why are there cops?"

The boy didn't respond. Instead, he continued staring past the girls into the distance at God knows what. From behind the two of them, Natsuki could hear Monika starting to cry. She turned around and looked at Yuri, who was just as confused.

"Grr! If none of you are gonna say anything, I'll find out myself!"

"Natsuki, no!" Monika wailed, but it was too late as Natsuki was already sprinting towards the line of police officers around Sayori's house.

"James! Officer James!" Natsuki called out to the young law enforcer.

"Miss, we're gonna need you to stay back." An older police officer shouted from behind James.

"James! Will someone PLEASE tell me what's going on?!"

As Natsuki continued screaming in the background, Anon stayed kneeling on the ground, his body getting weaker by the second. Eventually, the screams were drowned out by other, louder noises...

...Noises from what happened less than thirty minutes ago.

"Sayori!"

Images flashed before his eyes as the screaming continued.

"SAYORI!"

The street in front of him slowly started to flicker as if someone was controlling its light switch. Yuri and Monika were starting to fade in and out of existence, until...

"Pant...pant...pant..."

Anon ran as fast as his legs could carry him; Sayori's house nearly in sight.

"Come on...come on..."

As soon as he reached her house, he barged down through the front door and leaped up the stairs four steps at a time.

"Sayori! SAYORI!" The boy shouted, hoping to get a response.

He got none.

"Sayori! I'm coming in, okay?" He announced before throwing himself into her room.

"Sayo-"

The boy's heart skipped a beat.

"S-S...h-haah..."

His fingers clenched tighter around the doorknob as his knees began to buckle.

"...hoah...h-h-h...S...Sayo..."

His eyes couldn't believe what they were seeing...

In front of him, Yuri knelt down in front of Monika to hold her up, but there was nothing she could do to prevent the girl from crumbling further onto the ground in tears.

"What? What are you talking about?!" Natsuki screeched.

"Natsuki-please. I'm so sorry...I know she's your friend but you really can't go in there!"

"You're lying! YOU'RE LYING!"

Then, in a sudden turn of events, Anon stood up and dashed towards her, a spark of hope glimmering in his eyes.

"Sayori! Sayori, hold on! I'm gonna get you down!"

The dangling pair of legs started to twitch, as if they were trying to fight back.

"HOLD ON SAYORI!"

The boy frantically searched around the room for anything sharp at all, his eyes eventually landing on a pair of scissors.

"Okay...okay..."

Anon climbed onto a swivel chair and began furiously sawing away at the rope.

"Sayori...Sayori, I almost got you, okay? Just hang on! Just...hang...on..."

As the boy continued grinding away, he could feel every muscle in his body rioting against him; every fibre, every tendon fighting him, but he wasn't going to stop.

"Just..."

His arms were starting to give way.

"...a..."

The rope was starting to unwind into thinner strands.

"...little..."

The legs were now trashing about.

"...LONGER!"

Silence.

Then, as if everything happened at once, the boy fell to the floor with a thud.

"Gah!" Anon cried as he felt a searing pain shoot up his back. "Ack! Argh..."

The pain was throbbing and the boy almost couldn't get up, until he suddenly remembered who was lying on top of him.

"Sayori..."

With one last burst of energy, the boy pushed his friend off of him and slowly got up.

"Sayori?"

Anon looked at the pair of lifeless eyes staring back at him.

"S-Sayori? Nonono...Sayori! Sayori, you're okay dummy! You're fine! Sayori? Sayori stay with me! Stay with me girl, stay with me! SAYORI!"

...

"Yo yesterday was so lit!"

"I know, right?! Dude there was the dance and everything? They're so hot!"

"Eww man; they're like...flatter than my own ass! The symphonic band is where it's at!"

"Ergh...boys..."

Tuesday morning was a morning like no other. Every student; the minute they stepped into the school foyer, just started talking about the festival to the closest person next to them. It didn't matter if they were a classmate, a stranger, an ex-girlfriend, whatever; everyone was just as excited to share their adventures.

"Did you try the fried squid?" A girl asked her friend as they walked up the steps leading to the foyer.

"No, why?"

"Seriously girl?! You didn't try it?!"

"Hey, what do you mean? I was buried to my neck in Takoyaki!"

Up on the second floor, some students were already taking down their banners, ready to stuff them back in their respective storerooms where they would sit and wait for another 365 days. The symphonic band and the guitar ensemble had long since cleared out their performance areas of instruments, and the teachers were back to their serious moods.

...and there was another group discussing a rather more interesting topic...

"Hey, you heard about what happened with the Literature Club?" A freshman said to his friend as they walked through the parade square.

"Yep. I heard it from some guy though, so don't take it word for word, but apparently a member killed herself right before the festival began."

"What?! You heard it wrong; she didn't die!" A third student interrupted.

"No she definitely died." A fourth joined in.

"Welp, either way, I know one club that I definitely won't be joining, haha!"

"That we can agree on."

Being a high school, it didn't take long for word about that fateful morning to spread around the compound like wildfire. The teachers were the first to know, then the student leaders and then the eavesdroppers, until pretty much every student knew about what had happened. It soon became more discussed than the festival itself.

"Isn't that Monika's club?"

"I think it is! What the hell was she thinking inviting that psycho to join!"

"I actually went to the classroom where their supposed poetry recital was held!" On freshman stated, drawing all the attention onto her.

"Really? What was it like?"

"Well...There wasn't anyone inside; just a tray of cupcakes and a binder which had some messed up shit inside it! Do you guys wanna see? I took some pictures!"

A chorus of "Me!"s erupted throughout the small circle that had gathered.

"Look at this one: Get out of my head, get out of my head? Pretty demonic shit if you ask me."

"Ew-I can't read this shit any longer...let's go, Tiff..." A sophomore said as her group of friends departed.

"Hey this one's actually not too bad though...Minusing the crazy language and dark theme, it's actually decent!" A girl pointed out.

"Ha! Look at this one! What kind of stupid poem is this-it doesn't even rhyme! Nat-Natsuki Tamura? How the hell did Monika let her in?"

"Ah...Monika..." Another boy said as he joined in the conversation. "That girl is all looks and no brains; she just accepts any old idiot because she just wants her club to explode and even that wasn't able to make her club popular!"

"Oh my God, really?"

"Yep. She's just a slutty bimbo who seduces the teachers to get good grades." The boy continued smugly as everyone around him burst into laughter.

"Haha!"

"HEY!"

A booming voice came from behind the remaining freshmen and sophomores, causing them to jump out of their skin. "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!"

The boy turned around to see a girl with hot red hair march up to him, her face burning with anger and another girl behind her rolling her eyes.

"I'm sorry; who are you?" The boy half asked and half scoffed.

"You don't need to know that. What you do need to know it some respect! How dare you say such stupid shit like that? Are you in a foundation class or are you just that brain-dead?"

The boy raised his right eyebrow as many others started to gather. A few of his friends were beckoning him to leave the tense situation, but instead, he stood his ground.

"Oh...I understand now...You're her friend! And by friend, I mean lackey who agrees with everything she says. Gee are you part of that mentally unsound club too?"

As the every increasing circle of students burst into another fit of laughter and "oh's", Fumi suddenly lunged forward and grabbed the boy's collar. "Listen here you little SHIT. You have no right talk about my friend like that, you hear me? I'm not part of her club; never was and I could honestly give fewer shits about the members, but you are treading in dangerous waters here, pal." After finishing her warning, Fumi shoved the boy back a few inches before storming off with Kisami.

"Err...whatever loser. Don't forget to have Monika change your diapers!"

"HAHAHAHA!"

"Jesus fucking Christ; the NERVE of those cretins to say such putrid things! I need to text her about this shit!" Fumi fumed as she and Kisami headed for first period.

"Well, I don't want to step on your moment, but you said the same things about Monika's friends. You're lucky she didn't disown you after that." Kisami shrugged. "And also, I don't think she's...in the mood to be texted..."

"WHAT?! She wouldn't disown me...She'd better not, especially what I did for her-"

"-WE did for her."

"Bitch, please; all you did was ate your goddamn sandwich and went along with everything! You didn't even put in an effort to-you know what, we don't need this conversation right now. Let's...let's just get to class before MY mood gets any worse..."

"I...I hope she's okay..." Kisami muttered.

"Woah. That's a first."

"First what?"

"Well, you know...The first sign of emotion you ever shown." Fumi stated flatly.

"What are you talking about; I'm worried for her! Are you not?" Kisami narrowed her eyes.

"I-I am! I just...I don't know...That...that didn't seem like a you thing to say...Look; I don't even know what's going anymore, okay? So forgive me."

"Whatever." Kisami shrugged. "You wanna visit her after school?"

"Duh! Is that even a question?! Come on, let's ACTUALLY get to class now..."

...

"Wait...You're kidding!"

"Nope. Straight up. And you're seriously telling me you haven't heard literally everyone talking about it?"

"N-No-I...Wait, seriously?"

"Why is that so hard to believe?"

"I mean, she's always so happy and...I don't know, man. This is just...completely new to me; I have NO idea ANY of this happened!"

"Well, to be fair to you, you spent most of the festival at the basketball court trying to get a girlfriend."

"Hey-Sh-shut up man! Fucking bitch..."

Kei slapped his knee with laughter as Goro's face flushed red, but both boys, along with the rest of the class, immediately quietened down when they saw who had just walked in.

"Oh shit..." Kei whispered as Yuri and Natsuki rushed in, their eyes sunken and heavy and looking extremely tired. "Erm...Do you want to ask them or do you want me to ask them?"

"Dude, are you crazy?!" Goro snapped, clearly agitated.

"What, man? Jesus; I was just trying to get some closure." Kei snapped back.

"So what; you'd seriously think they would just straight up tell you their club mate killed herself?" Goro hissed, hoping the two girls hadn't heard them.

"No, but I WILL tell you that it's none of your damn business!"

They heard them.

"Ah-S-Sorry...jeez..." Goro held up his left hand apologetically, but Kei was still eager to find out more.

"Why not? Why is it none of our business? She's our classmate; we have the right to know."

"No you don't!" Natsuki spat. "And if you don't shut up right now, I'm going to put your face through your table!"

"N-Natsuki! P-Please don't do that..." Yuri pleaded nervously.

"No-No Yuri! I should do that!" Natsuki squeaked again, but all it got out of Kei was a bemused chortle.

"Heh heh-Look how flustered she's getting! So is Sayori alright?"

The second after Kei asked that question, everything seemed to snap inside Natsuki's head. Goro and Yuri instinctively backed away to their seats, while everyone else started to get ready for the upcoming supernova.

As Natsuki slowly approached a defiant Kei, everyone held their breaths. Yuri buried her face under her air, while Goro nervously tugged on his collar.

"Stop. Saying. Her name." Natsuki seethed, her voice dripping with acid.

"Oh-so I was right then! Sayori did kill hers-"

-POW-

"-argh! What the-" Kei looked up in shock, clutching his right cheek, while Natsuki took a step back, clenching her fists tightly.

"Dude. Not cool, man." Goro said as he hurried over to assist his friend. "That was really fucked up."

"Whatever man-get OFF ME!" Kei growled as he elbowed his friend away. "What did you just do to me, little girl?"

"I did exactly what you thought I did. And there's more where that came from if you don't shut your vile mouth."

"N-Natsuki! M-Maybe we should calm down!" Yuri cried, but Natsuki was only getting angrier and angrier.

"Yeah-Yuri's right." Goro tried to jump in again. "We should all just calm down and-"

"Dude-just shut your cunt mouth, will you?!" Kei roared, making Goro give up. "You stupid bitch...I'm gonna teach you a lesson!"

Natsuki cracked her neck and took a deep breath, but before Kei could come any closer, Mrs. Chen ex-machina-ed her way in, grinding the whole scene to a halt. Yuri and Goro returned to their seats, while Kei returned his hands to his sides as Natsuki stared him down.

Everyone else stared at Mrs. Chen uncomfortably while waiting for her to say something.

"What is going on?" Mrs. Chen asked calmly, but everyone else knew she was anything but.

"Mrs. Chen, we were just messing around..." Kei mumbled.

"Is that so? Is that really what you're doing? Natsuki? What about you?"

"I'm sorry Mrs. Chen." Natsuki mumbled as well, her feet shuffling beneath her.

Mrs. Chen took another long pause.

"I will not tolerate violence in my class and honestly, Kei, I'm not surprised you would act so immaturely, but Natsuki!"

Natsuki fidgeted slightly, her face turning redder.

"I'm extremely disappointed in you! Why would you want to attack one of your classmates?"

"M-Mrs. Chen!" Yuri suddenly spoke up. "K-Kei was saying horrible things about Sayori and Natsuki was simply defending her!"

"Y-Yeah!" Goro stood up as well, earning a look of surprise from Natsuki and Yuri, along with a long of complete shock followed by scorn from Kei. "He said some pretty messed up things..."

"I don't care what he said. I will deal with whatever he said later, but right now, all I care about is that my students are fighting! I didn't teach you to be gangsters! Both of you should be ashamed of yourselves! Kei. Do you need to see the nurse?"

"No..."

"Then both of you go to the principal's office right now!"

Without another word, Natsuki and Kei shuffled out of the class, Mrs. Chen following them to the door.

"And if I get word from other teachers that the two of you were brawling in the corridors, I swear I will expel you both!" Mrs. Chen screamed after them, standing by the doorway until they were out of her sight.

While waiting for everything to hopefully settle down, Yuri nervously walked over to the empty seat next to Goro.

"E-Erm...G-Goro?" Yuri hesitantly muttered.

"Hm? Oh...Err...hi, Yuri..." The boy muttered back, equally as awkward.

The two students sat uncomfortably at their desk for a few seconds before Yuri finally opened her mouth to speak.

"I err...J-Just want to thank you for standing up for Natsuki back there..." The timid girl said, nervously fiddling with her hair.

"Ah..." Goro awkwardly brushed his, completely unsure about how to respond. "I err...No it's nothing...I just...He just...Erm..."

"Oh I...I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable...I-I'll go back now..." Yuri whimpered; her face flushing.

"N-No...You're not...I just...don't really know how to respond...But yeah, it's no problem at all. What he said really...really didn't sit well with me..."

"Yeah, me neither..."

Another round of awkward silence, but this...it felt a little better. Not good, but better.

"Okay, everybody listen up." Mrs. Chen boomed as she returned to the front of the class, ending the awkward silence. Everyone else turned to face her, looking as defeated as you could get before first period. "I will not tolerate this kind of behaviour in my class-no-the school. I don't care who started it, I don't care who said what or who was being rude; this is not the way to solve conflict. I better not see anyone else getting involved in violence, do you understand?"

"Yyyyeeeessss..." The class droned.

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND?

"YYYYEEEESSSS..."

"Good. Now, besides the two of them, is anyone...else...not here?"

"Actually, yeah Mrs. Chen; Mio and...S-Sayori...are not here..." a girl hesitantly replied.

"I will get to that later; I just need to know who isn't here, so Mio isn't here?"

"Yep."

"Does anyone know where she is?"

...

"Did anyone join the club at least?"

"Ahaha...not exactly..."

"That's terrible! I'm so sorry, Monika!"

"Well...I can't say that I expected anything else...N-Not that I'm blaming you! I just...I knew the festival would be a disaster...I didn't know what I was thinking: Trying to rush all of you guys like that...I guess my hopes to grow the club and make a name for it superseded my common sense..."

"But you're right, Monika; It was my fault...I-I probably scared them all way, didn't I? Ehehe..."

"N-No Sayori! D-Don't say that!"

Monika placed her palm gently on Sayori's shoulder and gave it a rub.

"But...it's true isn't it...That's what they're all saying right now, aren't they? That our club is cursed?" Sayori said despondently.

"Who cares what they say? Sayori, it doesn't matter alright? And I'm not mad...I promise...I don't care that our club didn't get new members! What matters is that you're okay..." Monika said reassuringly, but Sayori was still looking quite down.

"I don't think being in here classifies as me being okay..."

"Sayori." Monika gently placed Sayori's palm in between both of hers. "I'm here for you, you know that, right? The entire club is! We all care for you so very much! We all love you! I love you!"

Monika looked like she was ready to burst into tears, but she remained as composed as she should. "...Sniff...I love you..."

Sayori was looking pretty much the same.

"Sniff...I-I love you too Monika...sniff...M-Maybe you're right...M-Maybe I do need help..."

Monika smiled warmly. "I promise you...We'll find the best of the best. You'll get through this Sayori...and until then...we'll be right here by your side..."

Sayori smiled back. Something in her head told her that the battle wouldn't be easy, but seeing Monika's warm fireplace of a smile seemed to give her the extra assurance that she needed. For the first time in a very long time, she felt that she could actually beat this whole thing.

"I...I trust you Monika..." Sayori said weakly, but for once, Monika felt relieved and overjoyed.

"Come here, my dear..." Monika whispered as she wrapped her arms tightly around Sayori.

"Ack-Monika! That's like the twentieth time you've did that!" Sayori choked as Monika squeezed even tighter.

"I know...I know...I just...I never want to let you go again..." Monika whispered gently into Sayori's ear.

"And that's like the fortieth time you've said THAT."

"Ahaha...I-I'm a bit of a sap aren't I?" Monika laughed, wiping tears from her eyes after releasing herself from the hug.

"Ehehe..." Sayori joined the laughter and for a brief moment, the two girls sat relaxed, staring blissfully out a random window.

All of a sudden, the door swung open.

"Anon! You're back!" Sayori squealed with glee.

"Ah Anon! You're back from the-"

"Yo Sayori..." Anon greeted, brushing past Monika. "How you doing, you doing okay?"

"Ehehe...You don't have to keep asking me that, dummy; I'm fine!" Sayori grinned widely.

"I know, I know...I just...I just need to know, alright? Here; I bought your favourite." Anon smiled, holding up an aromatic bag that smelled of-

"Cinnamon buns! Yay, you're the best, Anon!" Sayori cheered, immediately digging into the plastic bag, while Anon could barely hold in his chuckle.

"Ahaha!" Monika laughed, but immediately stopped after noticing that Anon didn't join in.

"Hehe...It's good to see you, you know, so lively again...though you shouldn't call me that, Sayori...I'm not the best..." Anon awkwardly brushed off Sayori's compliment, only for her to fire back.

"What are you talking about? You ARE the best!" Sayori exclaimed in confusion.

"Hah...no, but really...this is all my fault and I don't think I could ever apologise enough..." Anon hung his head low.

"You don't have to, silly!" Sayori laughed, clearly amused at Anon's slump. "You saved me! Hello? Or was it a magical wizard? Or was it John Cena? Or was it magical John Cena?"

"Sayori, please...I don't want to remember what happened..." Anon said gravely, shuddering as his mind went back to the previous day.

"O-Oh...I'm sorry..." Sayori apologised.

"Nonono, it's not your fault..." Anon quickly held his palm up upon realising Sayori was feeling down again. "Please don't blame yourself, Sayori; it's my fault for-"

"I'm not, silly...And you really need to stop beating yourself up over this! Monika, tell him!" Sayori demanded. Monika, who was still looking uncomfortable, looked like she wanted to say something, but Anon once again cut her off.

"It's fine, Sayori. That won't be necessary."

Monika immediately shrunk back into her corner by the ward door.

"Anyway, what do you want to do now? You wanna watch some anime? I downloaded some on my phone if you would like."

"Nah...right now, I just want to rest. I haven't had that for a very long time; proper, that is." Sayori admitted, stretching her arms.

"Well, I'm definitely staying with you...You-you don't mind that, right?"

"Are you kidding, of course not you goof!" Sayori beamed and Anon immediately went over to her side. "Monika? You can stay here too if you want!"

"A-Ah...c-certainly..." Monika stuttered, still slightly unsure. "What do you have in mind?"

"Ehh...nothing much, I guess...I suppose I don't mind just having you two here while I talk about random things." Sayori suggested.

"Random things it is then!" Anon smiled. However, before any of them could get started, the ward door swung open. Upon seeing who it was, Monika and Anon immediately grew quiet.

"S-Sayori?!"

"Mio? You're here!"

"SAYORI!" Mio immediately rushed over to Sayori's side and gave her a big hug. "YOU'RE OKAY...You're okay...sniff..."

"Uwoah...oh please don't cry Mio...I'm alive, see?" Sayori could barely contain her laughter over the snivelling girl.

"Ohmygod...ohmygod...sniff...Sayori, I am so, SO sorry...I'm so sorry! Sniff...I've been a TERRIBLE friend..." Mio apologised profusely while still melting down in front of the others.

"It's okay Mio, really. It's not your fault." Sayori reassured her crumbling friend.

"Erm, maybe we should-yeah..." Anon got up and left the two friends to themselves as Monika followed suit.

"How are you holding up?" Monika asked as the two of them left Sayori's ward. To her continued dismay, Anon didn't mutter a single reply and took out his phone.

Feeling slightly agitated, Monika decided enough was enough and walked right up to the despondent boy.

"Anon? Anon."

"I'm fine." Anon replied coldly, his eyes staying fixated on his phone screen.

"I-fooh..." Monika let out a distressed sigh. "Look-the entire of today and yesterday, you have not said a single word to me! Are you really feeling okay? If there's anything you want to talk about, I'm always here for-"

"I said I'm fine, okay?!" The boy snapped, startling the club president. Now completely annoyed and frustrated, Monika raised her voice.

"I'm just trying to look out for you! What's your problem?!"

"I already said there's no problem, okay?!" Anon roared, causing some of the hospital staff and visitors to turn and look. "...Sigh...I'm going to the toilet, If Mio's done you can go in without me..."

With that, the boy departed for the male's washroom, leaving Monika in a stunned and disappointed silence.

"Are they gone? Okay. Look; Sayori...I really want to apologise for the things I said last week...I-I didn't know you were dealing with...your own problems...a-and I was being so selfish and I'm sorry..." Mio cried.

"It's really okay Mio...I-I should have at least said something or given you a heads up...so I'm sorry too..." Sayori comforted her friend.

"H-Huh? Y-You're not mad at me?" Mio looked up in disbelief, her eyes glistening with tears.

"No silly! Why would I be mad at you? You're my best friend! We both...we both can learn from this experience and become better friends! Don't you agree?"

Mio thought about it for a few seconds before hesitantly nodding her head. "Y-You're right Sayori...I agree..."

The two girls wrapped their arms around each other again.

"So err...How's she doing?" Sayori asked.

Mio looked slightly confused before realising who Sayori was talking about. Her face fell for a brief moment, but then turned back to normal after seeing who she was talking to.

"Oh...She's...she's alive..." The girl replied wistfully.

"That's...that's awesome, Mio. When I get better, I promise you; I will go with you to visit her." Sayori smiled.

"That's...That would be nice...Thank you, Sayori." Mio responded gratefully.

...

"_IT'S ON ONE OF THE GROUND FLOOR CLASSES. I'M TOO LAZY TO CHECK WHICH ONE."_

"_It's okay. I can manage."_

School passed by relatively okay for Yuri. No one she passed by mocked her or teased her, much to her surprise, and thanks to Kei being in detention, there was one less person for her to worry about

However, someone else of equal importance that was in detention was Natsuki, who Yuri decided to go with to the hospital after school to visit Sayori. That would mean potentially running into Kei again.

"Dear me, I hope that won't happen...although there's a very high chance that it might...Though I may be able to get in from behind without him seeing..." Yuri strategized in her head as she approached the sophomore's block. Since the sophomores now have after school activities, there might be a chance the empty classrooms would be used for detention.

As Yuri passed by one classroom, she peeped inside to see Natsuki and a few other students seated at random desks, doing their best not to die of boredom, and a teacher who looked even worse than the students.

"Aha! The very first one!" Yuri said to herself in satisfaction.

"Hey Miss Big Tits!" a voice came from her right. The girl spun around in fear to see Hitoshi walk up to her with a sly smirk on his face.

"A-Ah..."

Not sure how to react, a mortified Yuri quickly placed her hands up to her chest and started sweating profusely. "I-I...I...I have to think of something! I...Oh this is impossible! I can't think of anything witty to say! I wish I had...had..."

All of a sudden, Yuri looked back at Hitoshi, her eyes now glaring with fury and confidence.

"Oh I see! You're teasing me in hopes of making me react in a way that would make you laugh! You think I will fumble over my words and become a stammering mess which in turn would fuel your pathetic and sad mind because no girls want you! You want to see me get embarrassed and blush to stimulate your lousy micro-penis. Please, leave before you embarrass yourself even more."

Hitoshi opened his mouth, but all the words dried up before they could even leave.

"Wha...wha...I..."

"Oh Yuri! You're here!"

Before the boy could say anything, Natsuki danced out of the detention classroom with glee.

"You're done! Let's go!" Yuri smiled, completely ignoring the frothing boy.

"Who was that back there?" Natsuki asked as they left the sophomore's block and headed for the foyer.

"Oh, no one important." Yuri smirked.

Natsuki raised an eyebrow. "What did he do? Do you need me to punch him for you?"

"I already did." Yuri grinned, causing Natsuki to start laughing.

"Hahaha! Atta girl!"

The two girls eventually left the school compound and headed for the bus stop.

"Which bus do we have to take again?" Natsuki asked while looking at the panel for bus timings.

"I think it's that single-decker one there...Come one; let's get on it."

"Right behind you, miss."

After scanning their bus passes, Natsuki and Yuri headed to the back of the bus where there were a few seats still available.

"And how long did you say the ride would be?" Natsuki asked while climbing into her seat.

"About half an hour, so you better get comfortable." Yuri responded while taking out a book to read.

"Way ahead of you!" Natsuki grinned, taking out her manga. Luckily for the two girls, they were at the front of the line and were able to occupy the last remaining seats. The students behind them weren't as lucky and just as Natsuki was about to get into her reading zone, an annoyed cry came from the middle of the bus.

"Ugh! I told you we should have taken a cab!"

"Relax, Fumi...Experience the life of a commoner once in a while, yeah?"

Natsuki and Yuri exchanged worried glances.

"I hope they don't spot us..." Yuri said anxiously.

"Me too...Oh well; so long as we keep our heads buried, they shouldn't be able to spot us with so many people on board." Natsuki noted.

"Umm...I don't think that's how it works..." Yuri stated, pointing to her hair and then to Natsuki's.

"Hm, you're right...Ah forget it! If they come at us, then we'll just beat the shit out of them!" Natsuki scoffed and returned to her manga, while Yuri continued staring at the two girls from the corner of her eye. She tried her best to focus on her novel, but at this point, she might as well not have a book in her hand at all.

...

...

...

As time passed, Yuri grew more and more anxious as commuters started to alight from the bus. For some reason, Fumi and Kisami didn't. It was almost as if they were following them.

"N-Natsuki?" Yuri tapped her friend who was fast asleep.

"Mm-hmm? Sniff? What? Are we there yet?" Natsuki smacked her lips as she awoke from her slumber.

"N-Not exactly...b-but I'm getting kind of worried..." Yuri said as her eyes darted back and forth. "Th-they're not getting off...Th-they're gonna see us sooner or later..."

"Really? Wow it's almost like they're following us to the hospital or something." Natsuki joked.

"Natsuki! Uuhh..." Yuri cried worriedly while twirling a strand of her hair with her index finger. Sensing that she had made Yuri panic, Natsuki became immediately subdued.

"Hey, hey, hey...It's alright Yuri; I'm here! If they ever pick on you, I'll be right there, got it? I'm not leaving your sight until we reach the hospital."

Yuri looked at Natsuki gratefully. "Th-thanks Natsuki..."

"No problemo! And, wait...Why can't you just use what you said on that boy on Fumi?"

"W-Well...I-I didn't know that boy personally...b-but I don't think Monika would be very happy with me castigating her friends..."

"Casti-what?!"

"Castigate. You know; criticize harshly?"

"You could just say "roasting", you know? No need for-you know what, never mind." Natsuki rolled her eyes.

Eventually, Yuri's worst fears came through when the bus reached the hospital and Fumi and Kisami got right off.

"Hey." Natsuki grabbed Yuri's hand and squeezed it tightly. "Relax. We'll just go behind them, okay?"

Yuri took a deep breath and held her hand to her chest.

"O-Okay..." The girl gasped weakly.

"Right. Let's go then."

As the two girls entered the hospital, the quickly lost Fumi and Kisami in the ocean of visitors and staff, but it didn't take long to return to Sayori's ward as they had been there the previous day.

"Alright. We're here. Just one more corridor." Natsuki stated.

To Yuri's dismay, the second they turned the corridor, they could see Fumi and Kisami standing outside Sayori's ward with Monika in between the both of them.

"M-Maybe we should come back later..." Yuri said nervously.

"Come on, Yuri! We can do this, alright? It's a hospital; they wouldn't dare do anything to rash." Natsuki pleaded.

"That includes you, Natsuki." Yuri reminded, but it was too late as Natsuki was already dragging her over to the door.

"Hey Monika! We're here!" Natsuki greeted.

All three girls had completely different reactions upon seeing the pair. Monika smiled instinctively, only for it to be replaced with slight unease. Fumi scowled immediately, while Kisami returned her attention to Monika.

"What are you two doing here?" Fumi asked in annoyance.

"We're here to see our friend. You got a problem with that?" Natsuki fired back.

"Girls, please. Let's not do this here." Monika begged, causing Natsuki and Fumi to stand down. "Thank you...You wouldn't want to...upset Sayori now, would you?"

"No..." Natsuki agreed begrudgingly. "...And speaking of which...How is she?"

"She's doing very well, but you should probably see for yourselves." Monika said, stepping aside to allow Natsuki and Yuri to enter.

"O-Okay..." Natsuki responded nervously before brushing past Fumi into the ward. "Excuse us." She said coldly, to which Fumi merely rolled her eyes.

Once inside, the two girls were greeted by a very tired looking Anon and a fast asleep Mio, as well as a jovial Sayori.

"Natsuki! Yuri! You guys are here!" Sayori squealed gleefully before jumping out of her bed and rushing to her friends.

"Aha-Okay, Sayori, okay..." Natsuki gasped for air as Sayori's wrapped her arms around her tightly. "Jeez. How are you doing; you feeling okay?"

"I'm feeling great!" Sayori beamed. "How about the two of you? How was school without me?"

Yuri looked at Natsuki anxiously.

"I got detention." Natsuki sighed.

"Wha?!" Sayori's eyes grew wide in bewilderment. "How?"

"Kei was...making fun of the whole...situation and I clocked him in the jaw."

"I-I tried to defend her, I swear!" Yuri protested.

"I know you did; no one's blaming you!" Natsuki scoffed. "Anyway, yeah. And Yuri here roasted a boy she never met before after he harassed her!"

"Really? Wow Yuri! I'm proud of you!" Sayori gave her friend a warm smile, which Yuri reciprocated by blushing profusely.

"It-It's nothing Sayori...A-Are you feeling better?"

"I am! Thank you, Yuri!" Sayori hugged Yuri once more.

"A-Are you sure? What-what did the doctors do?"

"Yuri-I'm fine! Anon said he's gonna help me find the best therapist she can find, so you have nothing to worry about, okay?"

"Th-that's very good, Sayori. A-And thank you Anon for doing this for her."

"Ah-No need to thank me...Most of it is from Mrs. Asoka anyway..; I'm just...tagging along..." Anon brushed his hair awkwardly.

"W-Would you like some tea, Sayori? I brought some tea leaves along with me if you're up for it." Yuri offered.

"Aww, of course! There's a hot water dispenser down the hall to the left." Sayori directed. After Yuri left, Anon turned his attention to Natsuki, who had been surprisingly reserved the whole time that she had been here. The whole six minutes.

"Hey." Anon greeted as he approached the subdued girl. Natsuki looked up at him and her face immediately turned red.

"H-Hey..." The girl muttered, her eyes going off to the side.

"How are you holding up?" Anon asked gently, sensing the tension that had already filled the ward.

"F-Fine...I guess..." Natsuki mumbled.

"Ah...Great..." Anon let out a small smile, his heartbeat already starting to pick up. "S-So...A-About what happened on Sunday..."

"Are you serious? Here?!" Natsuki snapped. "In front of-"

"It's okay, you guys!"

Anon and Natsuki looked at Sayori in disbelief.

"Really! It's okay! I'm super happy for you guys!" Sayori smiled warmly, causing both of them to blush.

"Gee...Sayori, it's not like that, okay?" Anon protested. "We just...Sigh...fine, you win, Sayori."

"Ehehe!" The bubbly girl giggled upon seeing her childhood friend so flustered and at a loss for words, while Natsuki simply grew redder.

"What do you mean "You win", dummy? There is clearly NOTHING going on between us!" Natsuki huffed.

"Natsuki." Anon raised an eyebrow.

"...Ugh! Now BOTH of you are making me feel weird! Just-! Never mind!" Natsuki folded her arms resignedly.

"Aww! You two are so cute!" Sayori squealed.

"I JUST SAID NOT TO MAKE IT WEIRD!" Natsuki screamed.

"I-I'm back guys. " Yuri said as she re-entered the ward holding her hot water flask. "Did I miss anything?"

Anon looked at Sayori, who looked as Natsuki, who looked at Anon and they all returned their gazes to Yuri before bursting into laughter.

...

It was a long bus ride back to the neighbourhood, but Anon eventually returned home just as the sun went down.

The boy walked down the empty and quiet street, his only company being the rustling leaves and dancing shadows.

"Ah...home sweet home..." Anon said as his street eventually came into view and then finally his house. "I'm home Mom!" Anon called out as he opened his front door gently. Lisa came hurrying out of the kitchen to greet her son, but instead of that, the mother and son stared wordlessly at each other. Lisa looked sadly at her son. The boy's face said it all: His eye bags were heavy and his hair was messy. He tried to muster a smile, but all he could manage was a minor lip lift. Then, without saying another word, Lisa slowly wrapped her arms around him tightly, letting him lean on her shoulder.

"Sniff...I'm...so tired, Mom..." The boy wept, staining his mother's sleeve.

"It's okay by darling...Just let it all out. Mommy's here...Mommy's here..." Anon continued crying down onto Lisa's shoulder.

"I-I was so scared Mom...I thought I was gonna lose her...I...I cannot lose her...I can't...I can't..."

"We all were...we all were...But we are not gonna lose her, I promise...Mommy promises that, okay? Nothing is going to happen to her...She's strong."

"Sh-She's strong..." The boy choked in between his sobs.

"And she's feisty."

"Hah...Sh-sh...sniff...she's feisty..."

"And she's going to get through this."

"She's...She's going to get through this...she will...she will..."

"There you go...You wanna go and wash up? Mommy bought steak.

Anon looked up at his mother, his eyes glistening with tears under the dim Hall lights.

"Sniff...Thanks Mom...You're the best..."

The mother and son pulled in for another hug before the boy walked up the stairs to the bathroom. Lisa watched his slow and subtle movements as he disappeared up the stairs. Never before had she seen her son this...broken...but something told her there was nowhere to go but up.

"...Sigh..." The tired mother let out an even more tired sigh. "...How I wish we were back in simpler times..."

The woman shook her head and walked back into the kitchen, leaving the living room in a peaceful and rather tranquil silence.

**1 Week Later**

"How are you feeling, my bun?"

"Ehehe! Kinda excited...but also kinda nervous..."

"Oh, don't be silly Sayori! Dr. Jotaro's the best therapist in the city! We won't find someone more qualified than him!"

"But what if he doesn't like me?"

"Nonsense! Of course he will like you! If he doesn't, I'm gonna kick his butt and get him fired!"

"Uwah! Don't do that Mom!"

"Ehehe! I'm kidding, I'm kidding...Come on, we're gonna be late!"

One week has passed since the festival and a well and rested Sayori is finally going to her first appointment with her new therapist. From what she had gathered from Midori and Anon, this Henry Jotaro is a famous therapist and paediatrician and most of his patients have left more than wonderful reviews about him. He was featured in The Japan Times twice and was given some prize she could barely remember the name of.

"Come on Sayori; have a little more faith in your childhood friend, will ya?" Anon asked. "We spent all day looking up this guy!"

"Ehehe...Sorry for doubting you, Anon..." Sayori placed the tips of her index fingers together. "Well, if you two are so confident in his abilities, then I'm sure I have nothing to worry about!"

"That's better." Anon smiled as they approached the clinic. "Welp, here we are."

Anon gently pushed open the glass door, holding open for the two women. Sayori immediately danced over to the couch filled waiting area where a large bowl of sweets , candy and snacks was waiting, while Midori went over to the reception desk. Anon, not wanting to be a nuisance, walked over to his friend who was happily tearing apart a box of one of her favourite snacks.

"Pocky...You know, the president of the company that manufactured those sweets was kidnapped, right?" Anon said, sitting down on a couch next to Sayori.

"Uwoah! Really?" Sayori exclaimed in bewilderment.

"Yep. Apparently, it was orchestrated by this group called The Monster With 21 Faces. After the guy escaped, they also sent a letter to the company saying they had laced a bunch of its products with poison and threatened to put those products in stores."

Sayori looked at her pocky stick in fear.

"Haha! That was so long ago though, so you're fine."

"Really? Yay!" Sayori giggled before taking another bite down on her pocky stick. "Still though; Monster With 21 Faces? That sounds really spooky."

"You think that's the scariest part? The scariest part was this video of security footage in some store; they caught a man with a baseball cap shelving some chocolate...but they couldn't catch him despite how obvious and easy to spot he was."

Sayori looked at her stick again. "N-Now you're really starting to freak me out, you meanie!"

"Haha! Relax, Sayori; He's probably an old man by now; he's not gonna poison anyone!"

"But you didn't have to say it!"

"What are you two talking about?" Midori asked as she walked over.

"Anon's being a meanie!"

"I wasn't! I was just telling her some trivia about the pocky sticks she's eating!"

"Yeah: Scary trivia!"

"Okay, okay you two...I'm sure Anon wasn't intending to spook you...I myself was spooked by this story when I first heard it." Midori admitted. "I was so scared of going to school that I had to ask Haru to pick me up every day."

"Really? You made Dad do all that over some story?"

"It was a big deal back when I was in Middle School. Everyone was on edge and my Mom wouldn't let me stay out past six." Midori recollected. "She threw away all Glico products and swapped to fruit jelly."

Sayori looked up all of a sudden, as if something had just snapped together in her brain.

"Is that why we have no pocky sticks in our house?!"

"Yep. My phobia was that strong. I'm just allowing you to eat this one because I trust this clinic. It is a CLINIC, after all..."

"Sayori Asoka?" A young woman called out from down the hall, causing all three heads to turn. "Dr. Jotaro is ready to see you."

"Ah-I guess I'll wait out here." Anon stated.

"That'd be much appreciated, thank you Anon." Midori smiled before following her daughter into the office all the way down the hall.

After knocking on the door, Midori and Sayori entered the office to see a sweet looking man, looking about in his fifties, sitting at his desk, diligently writing something down on a notepad.

"Ah! You must be Sayori! Welcome! Take a seat!" The man greeted warmly, causing all the butterflies in the girl's stomach to fly off. "I'm Doctor Henry Jotaro, but you can just call me Doctor Henry! How's that sound? You okay with calling me that? Or would you rather call me Henry Doctor?"

"Ehehehe!" Sayori giggled in amusement before shaking the man's hand enthusiastically.

"Doctor Henry is fine!"

"Very well! And you must be Mrs. Asoka." The man shifted his attention to Midori, who was also stifling a laugh.

"A pleasure to meet you, Doctor Henry." Midori smiled, shaking the man's hand as well.

"Now that the pleasantries are settled, I would like us to get to know more about each other first. Tell me more about yourself, Sayori."

Sayori looked at Midori, who gave her a reassuring nod. The girl turned back to the good doctor and smiled.

"Well...I'm Sayori Asoka, I'm currently a junior high schooler...My hobbies are watching anime and Netflix as well as hanging out with my best friend Anon...and sleeping of course, plus eating lots of cookies and cinnamon buns..."

"You say that you like watching Anime...tell me more about it; what Anime do you watch?" Doctor Jotaro asked, intrigued.

"Oh, I love LOTS of Anime! One Piece, Dragon Ball Z, and my personal favourite, Violet Evergarden."

"Ah...Violet Evergarden...Good choice!" Doctor Jotaro gave Sayori a thumbs up, causing both her and Midori to giggle. "Let me ask you something, Sayori; Do you know who Hayao Miyazaki is?"

"Eh? Who's that?" Sayori asked, visibly confused.

"Huh? You don't know who that is? He's one of the greatest filmmakers of all time! What are you doing?" Doctor Jotaro asked jokingly, turning to Midori.

"Ehehe...My dear Sayori wasn't born yet when Spirited Away came out! You're gonna have to forgive me, doctor!"

"Ah, then I must say, you're missing out! I want you, after today's session, to Google Spirited Away and sit down with your mother and watch it. Can you do that for me, Sayori?"

"Well, I'm excused from school for about a month, so I guess I can do that! Can Anon join us too?" Sayori turned to her mother expectantly.

"Of course he can! Just, when he's free, of course."

"I here you bringing up this...Anon...a lot. You say he is your best friend?"

"That's right!" Sayori nodded her head vigorously.

"Tell me more about him. When did you two meet?"

"..."

Sayori's face fell for a split second, but was immediately replaced with one of gratitude and gratefulness.

"I met him when I was...five, I think? Back when we were in kindergarten...We used to play in the park every day after it ended...We had so many adventures..." Sayori's voice started to shake as memories flashed in her head; the echoing sounds of children's laughter.

The bright sun shining down on them as they frolicked in the grass.

The wacky costumes they would don for each adventure...

"...Sniff..." Sayori started to tear up. "...sniff...One day we were pirates...the other we would be soldiers or spies trying to thwart the enemy's plans...H-He would always pretend to save me from some non-existent threat...and I would be so grateful for me hero...sniff...He is my hero...He has been there for me ever since...A-and...sniff...my life would be meaningless without him...sniff...My knight in shining armour...m-my saviour from all those evil and mean...sniff...hooh-I am so sorry, ehehe!"

"No, no...It's okay...keep going..."

"...Sniff...A-And...I-If I'm being honest...Th-The worst moments of my life were when I came home every day from Elementary School onwards, hoping to see his goofy smile and messy black hair waiting on my doorstep with a foam sword or a toy gun, eagerly waiting for our next adventure...o-only to be greeted by dull grey bricks and a wooden door...Th-There were times in my life where I needed my hero...B-But he never showed up...I don't blame him; He found new friends and schoolwork kept all of us busy...b-but...sniff...I missed him so much! S-Sniff...I-I m-m-missed him...sniff...A-And I want to be with him forever!"

As Sayori finished her rant, she looked around the room. Midori was trying her best to hold back her tears, while Doctor Jotaro was looking intently at her, completely captivated and drawn into her story.

"Where is Anon now?"

"Ehehe!" Sayori laughed in the midst of all her tears streaming down her puffy cheeks. "H-He's right outside in the waiting room!"

Doctor Jotaro could barely contain his wide smile.

"Hahaha...Would you like him to come in?"

Sayori looked at the doctor with a newfound hope.

"Y-Yes please..."

...

Yuri sat alone in her bedroom, her eyes super glued onto the pages of Another. While she was initially sceptical as always, she was pleasantly surprised after reading through the first few pages and finding out how much depth Manga truly had and after the first chapter, she was ready to take back everything she said about the genre.

The deaths were still hard to swallow, even for her, though. Usually her novels left her to visualize just how gory and grotesque the deaths and violent murders were, but with Manga, you're kinda given it right on the spot.

"M-My goodness..." Yuri exclaimed. "A-An excavator too?! How many deaths can this series come up with?"

All of a sudden, a squeaky voice came from behind her.

"Woah! I didn't know you read that sort of stuff!"

"A-AH!" Yuri recoiled in shock, nearly falling out of her chair.

"AHAHA! I'm so sorry big sis!" Yuki could barely control her laughter. "Guess I should have knocked, huh?"

"Y-Yes! Th-That would be very much appreciated next time!" Yuri huffed in annoyance, seeing that she had lost the page that she was on. "A-And...I didn't go out and buy this book...It-It was sort of a challenge me and Natsuki came up with to see if we were open enough to accept each other's preferred genre...She's reading a novel I bought for her as we speak!"

"And?"

"I got to say, I-I'm really surprised at how much this series has gotten me absorbed! Natsuki too! She said she's usually bored by novels by the acknowledgements page, but with the book I bought her, she says she's already at the final few chapters! I-I actually have a lot of catching up to do!" Yuri noted.

"Oh-then, sorry for distracting you I guess..." Yuki pouted.

"N-No! It's fine! You can stay..." Yuri brushed her hair shyly.

"Aww, I can?! Thanks big sis!" Yuki grinned before bouncing into her elder sister's room and onto her bed. "May I see what you're reading anyway?"

"Sure!" Yuri smiled sweetly before handing the manga over to her little sister.

"Another...Hold on; is this horror?" Yuki groaned.

"E-Erm! Is-Is that a problem?" Yuri quickly grew nervous upon seeing her sister's grossed out face.

"N-Not really...It's just...Ergh..; I could never stomach this shit."

"Language, Yuki!"

"Sorry, not sorry! Let's see..." Yuki began flipping through the pages, inspecting each panel and each dialogue box. "OH MY GOD!"

"Wh-What happened?! What did you see?!" Yuri flew into a panic and snatched the manga out of her sister's hands. However, one look at the page made Yuri roll her eyes. "Of all the deaths you had to land on, it was the umbrella one...Honestly, the shock factor decreases after this one...It's like they wanted to draw you in from the get go, then take the time to develop the story...You know, like every good series ever?"

"I know, I know...I watch a lot of American TV, just so you know, but still! Belch!"

"Please don't vomit in my room..." Yuri sighed.

"I won't! Anyway, I guess if I'm gonna hang out here, I better find something else to occupy myself with."

"You could start by giving my favourite novel a try." Yuri suggested.

"You mean the book with the eye?"

"Y-Yes, Yuki...What other favourite novel do I have?"

"Sigh...I guess I have to finally do this...Alright, I'm ready. Hand it over." The spunky girl demanded, to which Yuri happily complied and dug the book out of her schoolbag. All of a sudden, the timid girl froze.

"Erm, Yuri? You wanna pass the book over to me?" Yuki raised an eyebrow after seeing her sister freeze in place.

Yuri didn't respond. Her eyes were fixated on the cover, as if she was staring directly into the eye that was drawn onto it

"Yuri?"

As Yuri continued to stare at the eye, she slowly started to remember when she used to read this book...

...with Dean...

Yuri felt her heart shatter once again. Even though she wanted nothing to do with him, it still hurt that the only reason he was even interested in her in the first place was a stupid dare.

"Yuuuurrriiiii..."

Soon, she could visualize herself sitting next to Dean on her bed, completely absorbed in the book, feeding each other-

"YURI!"

"KYA!"

This time, Yuri leaped out of her chair and onto her bed, the book flying out of her hands. Thankfully, Yuki somehow managed to catch it without a fold or crease forming.

"O-Oh my goodness!" Yuri panted, placing her hand on her chest. Her heart was beating harder than drums at a Twenty One Pilots concert. "Jesus Christ, you scared the living hell out of me!"

"Well SOOOOOrry! You were the one who was hypnotised by that book! How do I know you're not possessed?! Say something only the real Yuri would say!"

"M-My book? Y-You caught it!" Yuri's panicked face faded into one of gratitude. "Thank you Yuki! You saved it!"

"Ah-well...You know...Soccer isn't the only sport I'm good at..."

Soccer...

Yuri shook herself out of another painful memory.

"Hooh...W-Well...D-Do you want to read it?"

"I mean, I kinda have to now...You know what, sure! Let's read together, big sis!"

"Y-Yeah!"

And with that, the two sisters returned to their individual books as the silence of the late evening swallowed them into a world of fantasy and fiction.

Well, not before the thousandth text from Natsuki, that is.

"_HOLY CRAP I'VE NEVER BEEN SO ENGROSSED IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!"_

Natsuki furiously texted with one hand, her novel in the other.

"Natsuki? Are you really eating and reading AND texting at the same time?!" Shinzo asked while slurping on his udon.

"Yes, Dad. It's called skill." Natsuki smirked, causing her father to let out a soft chuckle.

"Heh...Well, don't blame me if your food gets cold before you eat it...I'm not heating it up for you young lady!"

"Ugh! Fine, Dad! –SLURP– SHEE?!"

"Heh heh heh...Okay, okay...your old man is proud..." Shinzo chuckled once more before returning to his dinner.

"_I know, Natsuki...You told me that a million times in the past one hour!"_

"_YEAH, BUT YOU CAN'T BLAME ME! THE BOOK IS SOOOOOOOO GOOD! :OOOO"_

Natsuki set her phone and book down to take another bite of her udon.

"Hey Dad? Do you mind handing me some of the karaage?"

"Sure; take as much as you want." Shinzo responded, picking a rather large piece of chicken from the plate with a beach pattern printed onto it, with simply the cutest smiling sun ever.

"Thanks Dad!" Natsuki smiled before returning to her phone.

"_ANYWAY, TTYL I'M EATING THIS BITCH!"_

And then she returned to her book.

Meanwhile, Yuri could barely contain her laughter upon seeing Natsuki's undying loyalty to Convenience Store Woman.

"Uhuhu! She's REALLY engrossed!" The girl giggled.

"Oh she is? Well, then I probably won't get any homework done if that's the case."

"When Mom asks, it's your fault." Yuri joked.

"Excuse me?! It's totally yours!"

"No it isn't!"

"Yes it is!"

"Nu-uh!"

"Yu-uh!"

"Uhuhuhu!"

"HAHAHA!"

...

Monika sat on the ashy grey concrete.

"...Sigh..."

The girl brought her knees up to her chin and rested it on them. The cold evening wind was flowing through her hair, but she didn't shiver.

She actually didn't really feel anything at all; she simply stared up into the peaceful night sky. The school was eerily quiet at this time and Monika was able to sneak past a few security guards and the cleaning ladies and snuck herself all the way to the roof.

"..."

As she listened on, she could hear the distant rumbling of cars traversing the streets; presumably on their way home from overtime or maybe off for a late dinner; A few dogs barking and cats meowing, but other than that, peace and quiet. It was a perfect spot for Monika, especially after a week like that.

-BZZT-

Suddenly, Monika felt her phone vibrate in her pants pocket.

"_Monika? Where are you now? Do not stay out too late, okay?"_

Monika felt her stomach knot up, but kept the tears in control. Instead, she stood up, grabbed her bag from the floor and headed for the of access door.

Taking away the brick seating at the base of the door frame, she quietly tiptoed back into the stairwell and carefully closed and locked the door behind her. Eventually, she exited the stairwell and made her way for the side gate, but as she passed by a large notice board on her way out, something made her stop in her tracks.

"Eh?"

Monika crept closer to a particular notice stuck onto the peeling cork with a red pin.

THE LITERATURE CLUB

Monika let out a sad sigh as she scanned over the club regimes and timings.

"Every day…After school to…five…" the girl muttered despondently, after remembering how she had pretty much disappeared every day after school following the festival. God even knows what lies in the clubroom anymore, considering no one had stepped in there ever since.

But maybe…

"N-No…It's getting late…I should…I should…" Monika bit her lip, choking back the dam of tears ready to burst and flood her cheeks. She looked down at the list of club members, which she had gotten everyone to write their names on.

-Yuri Katagiri

-NATSUKI

Monika smiled, thinking back on how close the two had gotten despite having such clashing personalities.

-sayori! XOXOXO

"Ahaha!" Monika giggled, a few tears leaking out. Struggling to keep it together, Monika looked at the final name on the list.

-Anon

"…"

Monika thought back to the day at the hospital, where he had pretty much given her a sub-zero shoulder. She had never seen him raise his voice; even back when they shared sophomore classes, even when his friends pissed him off, he would always shrug it off or fake laugh, not this time. Monika didn't know why, but the few seconds after her snapped at her, she felt…scared? Maybe she didn't know how to react then, but it definitely caught her off guard.

"Focus, Monika…focus…sniff…" The girl told herself while wiping away tears. "...Sniff…You need to get back before the trunchbull sends you to the chokey…Eh? What the...?"

Monika's eyes were drawn to the line below Anon's name. After the festival, it probably wouldn't surprise anyone if the number of members in the Literature Club stayed the same or even decreased, but right there below Anon's name was another, written in deep green ink.

-Tiffany Maxwell

"Tiffany…Maxwell? Who the hell is…wait a minute…" Monika thought to herself for a few seconds, her brain slowly processing what all of this meant.

"..!"

Monika's eyes lit up all of a sudden. She gave them a good rub and stared back at the notice. Sure enough, the name was still there in green ink.

Tiffany Maxwell. And if this Tiffany's name was on the list of members, that could only mean one thing.

"H-Holy crap…I-I did it…I actually did it..!"

Monika looked back at the top of the notice, her eyes watering again. But this time, instead of despair, they were filled to the brim with determination and hope.

The girl dug around in the bag and pulled out a large pink marker, something she always kept on her for moments like this one.

She brought the marker tip in between the words "THE" and "LITERATURE" and drew a large pink arrow pointing outwards and on top of that arrow, she held said tip. She cracked her brain as hard as it could go, thinking for the perfect letters to go there, when all of a sudden, it hit her.

Smiling to herself, she pressed the tip of the marker onto the paper…

…and began writing away…

…

**End of Chapter Fifteen**

"Granny? I'm home…"

Mio slowly stepped into the shoddy apartment. Boxes stacked as high as the ceiling littered most of the common area, while the rooms themselves were filled to the brim with plastic bags, paper bags, cloth bags and every other kind of bag imaginable.

"Granny? It's me, Mio…Your granddaughter?"

"Mio…" A weak voice came from one of the rooms that were only ninety percent filled with shit.

"I'm here, granny, I'm here!" Mio hurried over to the room where the voice came from. A feeble woman, looking close to her nineties, laid in her bed with stacks of boxes towering over her. The only part of her bed not filled with junk had a large metal bowl in it. "I'm here granny, what do you need? You need some water?"

"Mio…" The frail woman responded.

"Yeah granny, it's me! Mio!" Mio held her grandmother's hand, only for it to be violently shook away.

"M-M-Mio! Th-There's a strange girl in our house! Mio! Get rid of her!"

"G-Granny?" Mio backed away in fear.

"G-Get rid of her…G-GET RID OF HER!"

"QUIET, YOU OLD HAG!" Another voice thundered from outside, making Mio jump. The old woman barely flinched. As Mio turned to the doorway, an even older and feebler looking man limped past. "I'm trying to watch TELEVISION. Now will you PLEASE KEEP YOUR PUTRID HOLE YOU CALL A MOUTH SHUT?! AND YOU!" The old man turned to Mio. "Stop being useless and get your grandfather a NEWSPAPER!"

"Y-Yes, granddad…" Mio stuttered, her voice already starting to shake.

"Why can't I just die already..?" The old man grumbled before walking back. As Mio stared at the now empty doorway and back to her grandmother, she felt tears streaking down her face.

"Mio…" The old woman gasped. "Mio…"

...

**End of Season One**


	16. Announcement

Hi everybody! I know it's been a very long time since this story got an update, but I'm here to deliver the good news: DDLC-The Netflix Series Season 2 is dropping this Friday. I apologise to fans of my story or anyone who is interested to find out what happens next to the Dokis and for the radio silence I've been giving everyone, but the series is back with new characters, new problems and a whole lot of new plotlines.

Now for the not so good news, I'm not sure how long this will last. I initially planned for three seasons, but I'm not gonna lie; I'm kinda losing interest in writing and I don't want that to end up ruining the story for everyone, but we'll see. I won't know how many episodes Season Two will get, or if I'm ever getting to Season Three, let alone ending the series, but I'll try my best. Plus, I got University coming up in a few months, so I'll try to grind out a few episodes in advance before I have to o back to mugging. That being said, I want to thank all of you for reading and supporting my series, and I hope that I am able to repay it and continue writing adventures for your favourite characters.


	17. Season Two - Chapter 1: Hello

"Hey guys! Sorry I'm late!"

"Ah-it's fine. Come; we brought some snacks!"

"Oh you guys…you shouldn't have…"

"What, are you kidding? How are we gonna study for the exams without food? Kagero-Tell her, please."

Kagero stared at his girlfriend, raising his right eyebrow.

"Um-I mean, yeah. Hey, I mean, if you don't want them, Moniri and I will just split them amongst ourselves-"

"NONONO-"

Moniri and Kagero stared at Lisa.

"…I would like some chips please…"

"That's more like it." Moniri smirked as she dug out a large bag of chips from one of the many plastic bags she had brought.

"Come on! Cheese?!" Lisa protested, holding up her hands in anguish.

"Hahaha! Don't get your panties in a bunch, Lisa; you seriously think I only bought cheese flavour?"

"Err, yes? Gimme that!" Lisa grumpily snatched the barbequed flavoured chips out of Kagero's hands as the couple burst in laughter.

"Ahahaha!" Moniri snorted. "Yeah I only did that to see your reaction. It was worth it."

"Definitely worth it." Kagero joined in.

"Jerks…" Lisa grumbled.

"Where's Jon? Is he not joining us?"

"No-He's got consults for the entire day." Lisa explained.

"Entire day?" Kagero asked, confused.

"Yep. He booked every single timeslot for each subject and each teacher. Frankly I've never seen him work so hard the four whole years I knew him."

"Ahaha…well, what can you say? He really wants to get in that college." Moniri shrugged.

"Kinda miss the guy, you know?" Kagero sighed. "When the four of us would do everything together?"

"Ah, well…He's really serious about this. His prelim scores were…yeah you knew how distraught he was; kinda was a wakeup call for him." Lisa pointed out.

"Well, I have faith in the guy. He's a hard worker." Kagero noted.

"Yep. You're lucky to have him." Moniri said slyly.

"Aww come on now…" The boyfriend rolled his eyes.

"Ahaha! I'm just teasing you…" Moniri sang sweetly before the trio got dove deep into their revision.

…

…

…

After a quiet and tranquil two hours, Kagero suddenly got up from his bench and stretched.

"Ahhh…Jesus…How long have we been studying?" The young man asked his girlfriend.

"Mm…About two hours?"

"Ho-lee-shit. Welp, I don't know about you two, but I'm gonna take a nap. Goodnight girls." Kagero gave a brief smile before throwing his head onto the table, as the two girls stared at him judgingly.

"Your boyfriend." Lisa smiled.

"I know, right? He's probably gonna end up drooling all over his notes."

"Hahaha!"

The girls continued their revision for a few more minutes before Moniri looked up at her friend. "Lis." The girl called out.

"Hm?" Lisa responded; her eyes snapping from the notes to her friend's.

"What are you gonna do…you know, after all this?"

Lisa stared at her friend, puzzled. "What do you mean "After this"?"

"I mean, after our entrance exams, what you going to do? We got like…three months after Uni starts." Moniri explained.

Lisa looked into Moniri's eyes for a few seconds; her mind going blank, before finally deciding on her answer.

"You know…I don't…know…actually. It's like…I was so focused on not messing up that I just…I kinda forgot that we were almost done with High School. If I'm being honest, I feel just…kinda…"

"Lost?" Moniri asked, to which Lisa nodded silently. "Hey feel so stressed, alright? I haven't decided on what to do either. And…judging by the fact that he is drooling…I don't know what he wants either. Ugh-you're actually the lucky one here, you know? Your boyfriend is so…reliable and handy…wait…he can't hear me, can he?" Moniri turned to her boyfriend in panic, but was relieved to see him sound asleep.

"Err…Let's not…I guess you're right…I am lucky to have Jon, aren't I?" Lisa blushed slightly.

"Of course you are! You know what; you don't have to worry at all! In a few years, you're gonna be swimming in money! Meanwhile, I'll probably be stuck trying to find this lazy ass a job! Ahahaha!"

"Hahaha! Don't sell him short, Moni…He loves you a lot! Isn't that enough?"

Moniri looked back at her drooling boyfriend. This time, it was her turn to go red.

"Yeah…It's enough…" The girl stared dreamily.

"Jesus, you gotta stop staring into his soul before he gets nightmares." Lisa scoffed.

"Oh please. If I'm in his dreams, he wouldn't want to wake up at all!" Moniri declared proudly.

"Ugh, whatever girl…Well, what about…the other thing?"

"Hm?" Moniri stared quizzically at her friend. "What other thing?"

"You know…k-kids…"

"Woah!"

"Oh come on! It's only a logical thing to ask after asking about what's next after high school!" Lisa defended her question.

"Is it? Is it really?"

"I don't know; I thought it was a good question…"

"Hey hey hey, you know what; fine. Erm…two girls? Yeah. Two girls."

"Two girls, huh…Me personally, I don't think we're having any."

Moniri's eyes grew wide.

"Really?! Why not?"

"It's…Jesus, keep it down; you're gonna wake sleeping beauty over there…It's mostly because…Jon…" Lisa admitted.

"He doesn't want kids?"

"It's not that he doesn't want them…it's just...He's just…not so sure we can handle it…"

"Are you kidding? You two would be great parents!" Moniri exclaimed.

"Hahaha…I'm not so sure about that…If anything, you'd be the better parent; you both would. I mean, you literally took care of Makumi while your parents were away most of the time!" Lisa argued, to which Moniri finally conceded.

"I guess you're right…But if you did have kids, then-"

"-My ideal would be a boy and a girl. Preferably boy first, but what are you gonna do, right?"

"Right. What are you gonna name them-you know, if you had them?"

"Hmm…I have too many names for the girl but I can't think of any for the boy…You know what, you answer first."

"Okay then…erm…" Moniri pondered over the question of a few seconds before proudly announcing it.

"Monika…yeah…Monika…"

"Hmm…nice name…" Lisa smiled. However, her eyes soon scanned over a proud Moniri and her sound asleep boyfriend. "Wait a minute…" the girl muttered.

"Why, what is it?"

Lisa's eyes continued darting between Moniri and Kagero, before her brain soon added everything together.

"Oh…my…God…" Lisa rolled her eyes. "Now I see…"

"Excuse me! I think it's cute!" Moniri exclaimed, slapping her friend's shoulder in retaliation.

"Hahaha-ow! Jesus! Ow…ow, ow, OW! OW! Okay, okay it's cute, it's cute!" the girls struggled amongst themselves before collapsing back onto their seats in a heap of laughter.

"Ahahaha! That'll teach you." Moniri proclaimed smugly, while Lisa's pager went off. "Is that John?"

"Yeah it's Jon. He's done with his consults." Lisa said as she began packing her things. "Welp, I guess we'll have to come up with that name another time."

"I guess so. See you soon babe." Moniri waved as Lisa scurried off.

"Bye!" Lisa waved back, disappearing behind the pale white wall, leaving Moniri alone.

"YAWN! Sniff…why what happened?"

…Or not alone…

"Rise and shine, doofus. Lisa left: That's what happened."

"She did? Aww man; I didn't get to say goodbye to her…oh well…" Kagero grunted as he slowly got back to a tired looking sitting position. "What were you two talking about?"

Moniri smiled, still looking in the direction of where Lisa walked off to.

"Nothing much…"

**Forty Years Later**

"Thank you so much for coming over today Mister Miyogi. Please, make yourself at home. I'll go get the refreshments."

"Thank you so much for your hospitality, Mrs. Akazawa. Mr. Akazawa?"

"Very nice to have you over, Mister Miyogi."

"Ah, thank you very much; you're too kind, and good morning Monika."

"Good morning sensei."

Monika sat down awkwardly on her couch next to her father while her piano teach took his seat across them. The three individuals stared at each other wordlessly until Moniri finally scurried back into the living room with a tray of refreshments.

"Please take as many as you like, Mister Miyogi." Moniri smiled at the elderly man before the group dug into the assortment of snacks.

After a few minutes of munching on biscuits and cookies, Moniri finally spoke up.

"So, the reason we asked you to come over today is because we would like to go over Monika's schedule. We err…decided that since Monika's exams are coming up, it would be best to change her lessons to once every two weeks instead of once a week."

"Oh sure; of-of course. Are we extending her lessons each time then?"

"No; it will still be one and a half hours each lesson." Moniri explained. "Monika just wants a little more time to revise for her exams."

"Ah I understand. Very well; I don't need to make many adjustments anyway, so…okay. It's settled then: Once every two weeks. Although this means that Monika?" The elderly man turned his attention to his student. "You're gonna need to practise in your own free time, alright? Maybe you could record your practise and send it to me in between lessons."

"Uh sure, sensei. I'll be sure to do that." Monika muttered softly.

"Just make sure you don't neglect your studies in the process, okay? Haha." Moniri joked, which was met with sympathetic laughter from Kagero and the old man. A painful silence ensued as everyone sat in their seats, eating their snacks. Monika kept her eyes down, while the parents tried their best to look as pleased as possible.

"Err, how is Monika's progress, Mister Miyogi?" Moniri piped up once again, saving the situation.

"Ah, it's very good, Mrs. Akazawa. She's a natural learner, she's always very attentive and I'm more than certain she'll pass her piano exams with flying colours, as well as her regular exams of course." The sensei beamed with pride, causing Monika's face to turn slightly red. However, her brief moment of joy was ruined by the sound of her mother's voice.

"Yes we're very proud of her." The woman said, but it seemed only the father was smiling at her. Monika rolled her eyes and massaged the bridge of her nose, only for her sensei to get up and dust his legs.

"Well, I suppose I better get going then. Thank you very much Mrs. Akazawa, Mr, Akazawa." As Sensei Miyogi shook hands with the parents, Monika simply sat numbly in her seat, staring at the tray of biscuits and tarts.

"Monika?"

The girl swore she could hear her name being called out, but for some reason, she couldn't draw her eyes away from the tray of-

"Monika!"

"Hm?"

The girl snapped back to reality, her eyes darting around the living room. Kagero was looking away uncomfortably, while Moniri was staring at her with an angry smile, looking like she was trying to maintain her hospitality despite being pissed as hell. It took a few seconds before Monika figured out what she had to do.

"Oh err…thank you for coming sensei." The girl bowed low and the old man did the same before limping out of the household. As Moniri shut the door behind him, she immediately returned her attention to her daughter. "What's gotten into you lately? You're acting all distracted and bothered and fidgety! Is something going on in school?"

"Mom. It's eight in the morning. And it's a Sunday." Monika groaned.

"Exactly! So why do you sound so bored and listless? And you!" Kagero turned back to his wife. "You didn't even say anything for those past five minutes!"

"That's another thing. You asked him to come down at eight in the morning, all the way from Kyoto, just to have him here for five minutes."

"Yeah! We needed to talk to him so we can change Monika's schedule!" Moniri exclaimed, her eyes wide open.

"YOU needed to change it. I was fine with the way it was, I'm pretty sure Dad doesn't care…"

"Don't start with me, young lady. I agreed to not cancel your piano lessons; I didn't say I would just ignore them either. We can always cancel them fully if you would like."

Monika stared blankly at her mother and father. "That won't be necessary." She said before walking back upstairs to her room, while Moniri turned back to her tired husband.

"What did I say? She begged me not to cancel it and I didn't-"

"I know, I know…" The man sighed. "I know…"

"She just likes to test my patience, doesn't she?"

"Heh…right…" Kagero shook his head before heading to the kitchen.

"And where are YOU going?" Moniri demanded.

"Breakfast! It's EIGHT."

"Right. That makes sense." Moniri said to herself before also walking towards the kitchen.

…

"Alright. Good morning teachers and my fellow students. I am your student body president Keiji Nakamura and here are your morning announcements."

"Who's this guy again?"

"Haven't you been paying attention during morning assemblies? Or like, I don't know; daily announcements?"

"I don't, why?"

"Or for crying out-Of course you don't. Kouichi stepped down as president and now this guy's taking over."

"Really?"

Kisami squinted her eyes as she tried to get a better look at her new president.

"Eh. Looks like every other guy in our level."

"Oh come on, you. Not every day requires you to hate everything!" Fumi responded. "Hey-This guy is actually sort of a real deal, alright?"

"Then why haven't I seen him when the student council do meetings? I see you all the time…"

"Because!" Fumi realised she had gone too loud and immediately transitioned back to an angry whisper. "Because…he was the secretary! He didn't hold any leadership positions and since no one else wanted to president job, he decided: Why not?! Honestly, the one week where he was in charge; he really stepped up the game for the student council. He has Monika running around doing so much shit; even I am doing stuff for once. I predict within a few more weeks, he's gonna turn this whole shit school around and people are low-key gonna start taking him seriously."

"I don't know about that…" Kisami said with uncertainty lining her voice.

"And lastly, as you all know, the school talent show is coming up…."

"Wait, the talent show's making a comeback?" Kisami asked.

"Told you. He's fighting to get our school noticed again. And in the good way…"

"Wow…alright. A little close to our end-term exams, but…sure."

The two girls returned their attention to the boy standing on the stage in front of them.

"And this year, it's a special type of talent show…"

"Oh gee…what now?" Kisami muttered unenthusiastically, while the rest of the hall around her erupted in "oohs".

"Wait for it…" Fumi whispered.

"This year, following the success of the festival, we decided that there will also be a special round solely for the different clubs in our school. Two clubs selected at random will team up and have a combined performance and the winning club will be rewarded handsomely. The pairings are out on the school website and on notice boards all over the school building. That concludes morning announcements, have a marvellous Monday."

With that, the entire hall started to rise as students got up and collected their bags, ready for first period.

"Which club did dance get paired with?" Kisami asked her friend as she knelt down to pick up her binder.

"Choir."

"And I assume you didn't have any say in that whatsoever?"

"It was completely randomised! I swear!"

Kisami rolled her eyes. "Sure, sure."

…

"It's disgusting!"

"It's mesmerizing!"

"Yeah-If you call severed limbs mesmerizing!"

"You're just…your stomach's too weak to digest the language…"

"It's so not! The language is just too graphic!"

"Woah woah woah; what are you two hollering about?"

Natsuki and Yuri turned to face Anon, who had just come to join them at their lunch table. Yuri looked like she wanted to say something, but Natsuki beat her to it.

"Yuri and I have moved on to the final tier in reading: I've given her Parfait Girls; she's giving me Markov."

"Haha! Both of your prized possessions…"

"Exactly! And Yuri isn't taking it seriously!"

"I-I am!" Yuri's hands jumped up to her chest defensively. "It-It's just…I'm stuck on filler arc that has nothing to do with the story!"

"It has everything to do with the story! It may be filler, but it's important filler! It improves on the characters and world builds! Meanwhile, Yuri's story is just completely revolting!"

"It-It isn't!"

"Alright you two; you can save the debate till you're actually IN the Literature Club. Canteen is for eating only and catching up on student gossip and news."

"Speaking of news…" Natsuki said as she took a second to swallow her rice. "Do you know what club we're paired up with?"

"Oh yeah I forgot all about that! Why, who are we paired with?" Anon asked, curious.

"You will not believe it-Hold on let me find my phone first…I'm frikin' over the moon about it but Yuri here is pretty bummed out."

"I-I did say I would try to keep an o-open mind, N-Nat…" Yuri replied.

"That's the spirit Yuri. I'm sure whatever it is, you guys will find some way to-wait, what?!" Anon's sentence was cut short as soon as he saw the pairings. "Th-The Anime Club?!"

"I know right! We're definitely winning for sure-I'm just gonna let them act out a scene in my Manga and boom: Everyone's gonna be all over us when our performance is over!" Natsuki declared proudly, while Yuri looked off to the side. "Oh come on, Yuri! What's so bad about that?!"

"N-Nothing! It-It's just…" Yuri started twirling her hair again. "I-I'm not sure about…w-working with others…"

"Aww for crying out loud. Need I remind you of the time you completely destroyed some loser with your words?"

"Th-That was a onetime thing! I-I don't know what came over me!" Yuri cried in defence.

"Wait-what loser? Yuri, what happened? Did someone tease you?" Anon asked, starting to get concerned.

"Yeah, but only for like a few seconds before Yuri straight up DESTROYED him! Tell him what you said!" Natsuki urged the blushing girl.

"It's nothing really…and frankly I don't think I can remember what I said; I said quite a lot at the poor boy…"

"What do you mean poor boy?! He deserved every last burn you hit him with!"

"Who is he? Sounds like a pretty pathetic dude…" Anon chuckled.

"Oh he's not worth it! Looks a bit like you, no offense." Natsuki explained.

"None taken…Welp, I hope that at least means he'll stop coming to you to tease you. And if you ever need anyone to back you up, Natsuki and I are there for you, okay?" Anon gave Yuri a thumbs up.

"Th-Thanks guys…" Yuri said graciously as her faces heated up. The trio continued their lunch for a while more until Anon stood up and rubbed his belly.

"Right…I guess I'll be off then…"

"Oh…you're not coming to the club today?" Yuri asked; a slight disappointment in her tone.

"Yeah…I need to get today's homework to Sayori and go over with her what was taught…so…sorry. I'll try my best to come whenever I can." Anon apologised before slinging his bag over his shoulder.

"Ah…I see…" Yuri replied sadly. "W-Well…In any case…take care, Anon…a-and say hi to Sayori for me, okay?"

"Will do! And see you Yuri, Natsuki." Anon bid farewell to the girls before departing.

"Anon! Anon wait!" A squeaky voice came from behind him. The boy whirled around to find Natsuki bounding up to him, her expression softened as compared to just now. "What is it, Nat?"

The girl bit her lip for a second before nudging him out of the canteen.

"We need to talk, but not here…"

"O-Okay…"

As soon as the pair left the canteen, Natsuki immediately pulled Anon into a corner of the school building where the hose reel sat.

"Woah…Jesus…What is it Nat? And…did you leave Yuri on her own?"

"No I told her to go to the club first. Alright. We need to talk."

"We are talking."

"…" Natsuki looked like she wanted to slap the nonsense out of Anon's face, but decided against it at the last minute. "…Sigh…How long are you going to keep this up?"

"Keep what up?"

"…Sigh…You know: You not going to the club…What do you tell Sayori whenever you visit her every day?"

"I…I…Okay I tell her that the club's taking a break…seeing that no new members joined…Which is technically true since the two of you occasionally don't go either."

"Yeah-OCASSIONALLY. Plus-We tell Monika that we need some time off; you don't say shit and expect us to keep covering for you-sorry-ME to keep covering for you! As far as Yuri's concerned, you're not part of the club anymore!"

"I-I…Natsuki…" Anon looked at Natsuki's frustrated yet concerned face and took a deep breath as he collected his thoughts. "…Sigh…Okay…I'm sorry. I just…It's too much for me. Sayori's…she's one week from finishing her counselling and I just…I just feel like I need to be there for her when that happens, you know? And I'm sorry I've not being spending much time with you either…I know you still want to continue your series and…I'm sorry I left it at that."

Natsuki's face turned bright red following Anon's most recent statement. "W-Well-! I-I…" The petite girl took a step closer to the boy and squeezed his hand. "…If I'm being honest…I did miss the reading sessions we had…N-Not that I'm saying I hate reading with Yuri or anything! She's actually a really good reading buddy! B-But yeah…I don't know, maybe I could come over to Sayori's and we can all read together?"

Anon gave Natsuki a warm smile.

"Heh heh…You know you're welcome over to either of our houses whenever you'd like, right?"

Natsuki stared deeply into Anon's eyes as she lightly punched his shoulder.

"Hm…I know…Maybe tomorrow? I promised Monika that I would show up today…"

Anon's body tensed up as his smile slowly faded away. Upon seeing his reaction, Natsuki slowly let go of the boy's hand and took a step back to her original position.

"O-Oh…Are you not free tomorrow?" the girl asked, slightly dejected.

"N-No. Tomorrow is absolutely fine…Sayori would love to have you over; she hasn't seen any of you for over three weeks now."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

The two students stared at each other for a good minute until Anon finally snapped out of his trance.

"Ahem-right then…I guess I better get going then..." The boy said awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Ah-of course…I'll err…I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Yep. Bye Natsuki."

"Goodbye Anon. Say hi to Sayori for me, okay?"

"Will do."

And with that, the boy finally made his leave, leaving Natsuki by herself with no one but the fire hose reel to keep her company.

"Oh shit! The club!" Natsuki exclaimed suddenly. As she checked her watch, she was only moderately relieved to find out she had ten minutes left until the club started. "I still need to find poster paper for Monika…I should be able to get some if I'm quick."

Natsuki brisk walked over to the bookstore and within two minutes, she was out and on her way to the clubroom.

"I should probably go through the garden if I want to get there on time…" The petite girl thought to herself as she made a right turn and headed down the garden stairs towards the senior block.

"Okay! Club time people!" The girl cheered as she swung open the clubroom door. To her surprise, Yuri was nowhere to be seen and the only other person inside was the president herself. "Hey Monika. Is Yuri not here yet?"

"I haven't seen her, no." Monika said while sorting through stacks of papers. "Did she not come with you?"

"No I…I asked her to go to the club first while I was…getting your poster papers…She really didn't come by?"

"N-No…Do you think something happened to her?" Monika asked, her tone getting increasingly concerned.

"M-Maybe…N-No….No…Yuri wouldn't let anything happen to her: She'll shut those cretins down with her big words, right?"

Monika was still unconvinced. "I still think you should go and find her…wh-what if it's those two again, or Kei or some completely new piece of shit?"

Natsuki stared at Monika as she thought about the whole situation. "You're right. I'll go find her. Here; These are the poster papers you asked me to buy." The girl said as she dumped a plastic bag full of rolled up poster paper onto the teacher's desk where Monika was seated. "I'll get her as fast as I can, alright? She'll be find, trust me."

As quickly as she had entered, Natsuki left the clubroom, leaving Monika by herself once more. The girl stared blankly at the empty room for a few seconds before putting her hand in her hands in despair.

"What the hell am I going to do…sigh…Another day and another empty clubroom…" The demoralised girl let out a heavy and tired sigh before returning to her work, but it didn't take long for her to realise her focus was just as absent as her club members. "Sigh…fuck…"

Monika closed her binder and stood up as she stretched her body and cracked her neck.

"Silly me…thinking this club would actually succeed…Mom was right…" the girl said to herself sadly as she shook her head. "…And of course it had to be during Talent Show period; what the hell am I supposed to tell the council; that my club can't participate because hardly anyone shows up anymore?! The fuck kinda president am I?"

The girl finished her rant in a huff before sitting back down on her chair.

"…sniff…sniff…haah…wh-what am I going to do..?"

All of a sudden, Monika heard footsteps approaching the clubroom as a shadow appeared behind the glass window.

"Ah…N-Natsuki?" Monika called out, wiping her eyes and cheeks.

To her surprise, instead of swinging open violently, the door simply creaked open a few inches as a head slowly stuck its way inside.

"E-Erm…Ahem-Ah, may I help you?" Monika asked, trying to sound as composed as she can.

"Err…yes…Is this where the Literature Club meetings are held? Oh-sorry…the…err…Doki Doki…Literature Club?" the mysterious person asked.

Monika's heart skipped a beat as she let out an audible gasp. Upon taking a closer look, she was even more surprised to see an African American girl peering into the clubroom. She had deep green hair held together by a purple scrunchie and her eyes were dark blue; almost indigo. Monika could swear that she could also smell a weird but somewhat pleasant aroma entering her nostrils.

"S-Sorry if I've come to the wrong place…I didn't mean to disturb you or anything."

"A-Ah…W-Well…" Realising that she had been staring at this mysterious new girl for far too long without giving any sort of response, Monika stammered, hoping whatever came to her head was qualified enough to answer her queries. "…Y-Yes…This is the Doki Doki Literature Club. I'm the club president, Monika. Is there something I can help you with?"

"Ah, in that case, fantastic!" The new girl smiled before opening the door fully and stepping in. As she entered, Monika realised that this new girl was taller than she expected; taller than her in fact, and there was something off about her eyes that she couldn't put her finger on.

Still, not wanting to drive away a potential new club member, Monika replaced every other emotion she had with a large and welcoming smile.

"Sorry for all the trouble, I was just kinda confused. I'm Tiffany, but you can call me Tiff. It's nice to meet you, Monika!" The girl stuck out her hand, which Monika shook eagerly. Something about the girl's name just seemed so familiar…

"Hold on a second…Tiffany…as in Tiffany Maxwell?"

"Yep, that's me! Oh, have we met before?" Tiffany asked, curious.

"No, not exactly…I just saw your name on our signup sheet a while back ago." Monika explained, her memories going all the way back to that night on the roof.

"Ah, I see. I'm really sorry for not being present during that time. I came to this same classroom like…four times maybe? Every time I came here there was barely anyone inside so I just assumed I read the signup sheet wrong. Maybe it was you who I kept seeing…"

Monika instantly felt a spear going through her heart, but continued staying composed. "Ahem, well…you're not wrong there, ahaha…I'm sorry…we're just…taking a short break…following the festival…"

"Yeah…I kinda heard…I'm so sorry for what happened; I can't begin to imagine how that must've felt: For you and the rest of the club…"

"It's okay, Tiff, and thank you…really. It means a lot; Not many people have…well…you know…"

"I do, and honestly, it's truly, TRULY awful what these people are saying…And I'm sorry again that this has happened."

"Sniff…ah, what am I doing right now? Ahem-right, where were we? Oh yeah; So what made you consider the Literature Club, Tiff?" Monika asked sweetly, reverting to her confident tone.

"Hmm…Well, I saw the signup sheet straightaway on Festival Day and…if I'm being honest, I don't really have a poetry-ish background, but I do like writing my own songs and lyrics if that counts."

"It most certainly does! You're a songwriter Tiff?" Monika asked, her interest in the new girl slowly growing.

"Erm…kinda. I just write for myself; it's nothing too big really." The girl blushed slightly.

"Well I think that's awesome! Song writing is just a good a way of expressing yourself as poetry is! I write some songs too but they're also mostly for myself. I have no intention of performing them in public, you know what I'm saying?"

"Hahaha! Yeah I got you. Only my family and some friends have listened to them. It's easy to write it down and get the beat and rhythm going, but actually having the nerve to perform…I don't think I could ever do it, even for a million bucks…or Yen, sorry."

"Ahahaha!" Monika giggled. "I don't really know much about all that; the only instrument I know how to play is the piano."

"Oh really? That's so cool! I never ever got the hang of it; I learned it for…four years? Three, four years? It just wasn't my thing."

"I'm starting to think it might not be my thing either…Not because I'm bored of it or anything, it's just…never mind…" Monika said. "So I take it that you're a hip-hop fan?"

"You know it! Tyler, Kendrick, Childish Gambino…I-I assume I just said a bunch of baby words for you, am I right?"

"Ahahahahaha! No-I know some of those names, but I have to be honest; I just can't get into most of it. Like I listened to Kendrick's album after all the hype it received and I thought it was fine, but it's not something I would regularly listen to, you know?"

"That's fine, that's fine…It isn't for everybody. When did you start learning piano, Monika?"

"Hmm, when I was in elementary school, I think. My mother just thought it would be best to learn it from a very young age."

"I see. Maybe you could play one of your songs for the club?"

"Ahaha…You're only like…the fifteenth person to ask that…Some time, maybe…Probably soon because, you know, the talent show and stuff."

"Oh that's right. See at my old club, whatever other club we get paired with, it will never ever work. Everyone there's just too competitive."

"Oh really?" Monika's head perked up. "What club were you in previously?"

Tiffany raised an eyebrow and gave Monika a look.

"Oh, right; of course. And you ARE right; I've met a few of them before and…yeah, they do have very high standards. What's worse is that they were paired with their arch rivals."

"Those two groups just can't get along, can't they?"

"Nope. Ahahaha!"

"Hahaha!"

The two girls continued laughing for a while before Tiffany finally popped the question.

"So…I take it that I'm a part of the club now?"

Monika looked slightly taken aback by the sudden question before replacing it with her confident president face. "Actually…It's not solely up to me…I still have to hear what my friends have to say…so…"

Tiffany's face fell for a split second. "O-Oh…That's okay; I can wait."

"I-If it was up to me, you would be writing poems already, but…you know…" Monika quickly spoke up, sensing the new girl's slight dishearten.

"No no, I understand-really. So err…I guess I'll come back tomorrow?"

"Oh no, you're more than welcome to stay! S-Some of the members are here actually; they just went to gather supplies; oh you'll love to meet them, they are just the sweetest people ever!" Monika beamed proudly.

"Awesome! Maybe you could give me a…err…what's the term-orientation? So I can know who I'm working with beforehand." Tiffany suggested.

"Oh of course! There's me, you already know me. There's my vice-president and best friend Sayori, intelligent and shy Yuri, manga-loving baker Natsuki…and Anon…o-our newest…member…" Monika stuttered slightly as she introduced the last member.

"Oh…Natsuki? She's the one with pink hair, right?"

"That's right! Oh, have you two met before?"

"Oh no, I just remember her very clearly…It was that day something went down in the garden and she just started flaming the shit out of this red haired girl. Yeah that was her! She just went OFF, hahahaha!"

Monika's face grew flustered as she slowly remembered that fateful day. "Y-Yeah…That was her…"

All of a sudden, the clubroom door swung open violently as Natsuki burst through the door.

"Wow, talk about perfect timing-Natsuki! You're back! Ah, Yuri! You're here too!" Monika greeted the purple-haired girl as she walked in behind Natsuki. However, she seemed to be distracted by something. In fact, Monika noticed Natsuki was acting weird as well. "E-Err…Where did you find her, Natsuki?"

"Alright. We have a situation." Natsuki announced, completely ignoring both Monika's question and Tiffany altogether.

"So do I." Monika said as Natsuki walked over to the centre of the classroom. Meanwhile, Yuri still seemed occupied with the clubroom door.

"Yuri? Are you alright?" Monika called out to the flustered girl.

"E-Erm!" Yuri finally turned her attention over to the club. "We err…Might have found a new member…"

Monika's eyes grew wide as she looked over at an equally surprised Tiffany. "I don't believe it…I found a new member as well!"

"What?!" Yuri exclaimed.

"Nani?!" Natsuki exclaimed with as much shock as Yuri. She then turned over to Monika and noticed Tiffany seating next to her, smiling innocently. "Wait, what?! Who the hell is this?!"

"I'm Tiffany! It's very nice to meet you…Natsuki, I presume?" Tiffany smiled and stuck out her hand, but Natsuki was far too stunned to even react.

"Wait, you two found a new member as well? Natsuki, what happened?"

…

"Ah…I see…" Yuri replied sadly. "W-Well…In any case…take care, Anon…a-and say hi to Sayori for me, okay?"

"Will do! And see you Yuri, Natsuki." Anon bid farewell to the girls before departing.

"Gosh darnit! He's leaving already! Shit I need to tell him some stuff-Yuri, are you okay with going to the club yourself?" Natsuki asked Yuri, who was packing the Manga into her bag neatly.

"I-I can handle it…I'll just take the shortcut…"

"Okay cool. Welp, see you at the club Yuri! Watch out for dickheads, okay?"

"Uhuhu! I will! See you!" Yuri waved goodbye to the petite girl as she bounced off to chase after her…boyfriend? Yuri still had no idea what exactly was the relationship between those two, but at this point, as long as there was no drama, it didn't really matter.

The purple-haired girl stood up from the bench and slung her bag around her shoulder. Picking her tray up, she made her way over to the tray return area and deposited her tray before heading over to the garden.

"O-Oh no…" Yuri said to herself in despair as she walked towards the steps leading down into the garden. There, by the bench where she first met Dean, was Kei and his group of mouth breathers. The dishevelled looking boy was laughing and snorting away, food flying out of his mouth as he chatted and wolfed down his lunch at the same time. One noticeable difference was the lack of his second in command and his heavily spotted face.

"He probably cut ties with him…and for the better…I-I…I should probably go th-the other way…" Yuri said, her voice shaking, sweat starting to bead down her forehead and down her neck.

Clutching her binder tightly, she took a deep breath and turned around towards the foyer.

As she walked past the foyer, Yuri noticed quite a commotion coming from it.

"Hmm? It's usually never this noisy, even during dismissal…"

Curious, Yuri decided that a few minutes wouldn't hurt as she made her way over to the foyer, where herds of students were gathered. She could immediately recognise most of them as members of the student council, although there was another group wearing a completely different uniform. Yuri couldn't recognise which school it belonged to.

"That's weird…Monika isn't here too…" The girl noted. "What on Earth is going on?"

"Good afternoon students of Yamaku High School! My name is Keiji Nakamura and I will be your overall facilitator of this two week program. As part of this exchange program, each one of you will be paired with one of our lovely facilitators standing in front of you and you will get to learn the ways of our school, take part in our after school clubs and finally, concluding your two week stay in our school, attend our talent show and possibly even take part in it. Before I assign each of you to your partner, I would like to give each of you a carry bag a…sort of a gift from the student council. There are pamphlets from all of the clubs, a water bottle and stationary, as well as a pamphlet for the school itself. Alright; will the representative of each group come forward and collect the carry bags?"

As Keiji finished his grandiose speech and began distributing the carry bags to the representatives of the visiting school, it didn't take long for Yuri to realise why she couldn't recognise the uniform. As she craned her neck to get a better view of the situation, she could see a volunteer hand over a carry bag to a male student who carried it for his friend who had no forearms.

"It's a school for students with…It makes so much sense now…" Yuri commented. "That's kinda interesting I guess…O-Oh…I better get to the club before I'm late, shouldn't I?"

As the timid girl prepared to make her leave, Keiji climbed back up onto his chair and made his final announcement.

"Alright! Now that that's settled, time to meet your partners for the two weeks. Okay…first we have…Suzu…Suzuki...Suzu Suzuki?"

Yuri watched as a teal-haired girl limped forward. She had a knee brace on her left knee and her eyes were noticeably tired.

"Your partner for the next two weeks is none other than our lovely Akane; captain of our girl's Floorball team!"

Yuri could see the Floorball captain roll her eyes as she scanned her partner.

"Ugh…These people are not certified to be orientation leaders…" Yuri scoffed as Akane put on a fake smile and welcomed Suzu.

"Alright, next! We have…"

"…and your partner is…Fumiko Koi..!"

"…Up next..!"

"…you'll be partnered with…"

"…Okay..!"

"…Here is your partner…"

"…Next..!"

"…Alright..!"

Four minutes passed and Keiji was starting to look less and less at the students and more and more at the list he was holding. By the time her approached the bottom of the list, everyone else was a complete mess, scrambling to find their partners as the noise level got higher and higher.

"…Okay quiet down everyone…" Keiji said lifelessly, his eyes still glued onto his piece of paper. "…Our final pairing is Takayuki Hamaji…and yours truly. Who is Takayuki Hamaji?" the president said, finally lifting his eyes above his list.

"It's Tak. You can call me Tak." The boy with no forearms called out as he strolled over to the president his carry bag slung over his neck.

"Very well, Tak. Come; let me get that for you." Keiji offered, extending his hand as he climbed down from his throne.

"Nonono-I got it dude." Tak said as he walked up to the bespectacled boy, who was looking already uncomfortable. As Yuri was prepared to finally make her leave, she overheard a conversation going on between two girls.

"Hey, you found your partner yet?"

"Yeah, she just went to the toilet."

"Shouldn't you be…following her?"

"Eh, she knows where it is."

Yuri could only shake her head disapprovingly as the two girls burst into laughter.

"Anyway, where's YOUR partner?"

"I don't know. When Keiji called her name I didn't see anyone react and when I asked around, no one knew who she was for some reason…"

"That's odd…Maybe you should check with Keiji."

"Yeah I should, huh. Oh well, talk to you later, girlfriend."

As the girl hurried after the departing president, Yuri's curiosity got the better of her as she walked over to the gathering students. Sure enough, all the visiting students seemed to have found their partners. Some were conversing…most were looking like they'd rather be anywhere else and one was…

"Aha! There she is!" Yuri said internally as her eyes fell on one girl sitting far away from the group, her face deep in a book. Yuri recognised the book immediately and was about to say something, but was interrupted by the returning student leader.

"Argh! Stupid frikin' Keiji! The idiot just told me to ask around; as if I haven't already been doing that! Ugh! How the hell am I supposed to get a perfect portfolio now?!"

As the girl continued complaining, Yuri noticed the girl's partner hiding her face further in her book.

"…Oh that's awful…That poor girl is too shy to…"

Yuri's heart skipped a beat.

"Oh-There you are! Why were you hiding in that corner when he called your name?!"

All of a sudden, the student leader started shouting from behind Yuri. Apparently, she had finally noticed her partner sitting by the bench on the far right of the foyer.

"Hey! I'm talking to you! Can you respond, please?!"

Yuri's heart started beating faster as the student leader marched over to her partner, whose whole face was behind her book by now.

"N-No…" Yuri muttered breathlessly as she watched the painful situation go down. "N-N-N…"

"Why the hell aren't you responding-?"

"B-Because she's MY partner!"

The whole foyer hushed and turned to look at Yuri, including the student leader and her trembling partner.

"I'm sorry…Sh-She's my partner…"

Yuri sheepishly walked over to the girl, who had closed her book from all the fright. Her mouth was wide open and her entire body was shaking. Yuri quickened her pace. Surprisingly, she had the same hair colour as her, but it was covering the entire right half of her body and most of her face as well.

"Are you kidding me?!" The student leader exclaimed as Yuri held her breath, waiting for the onslaught of foul language. "Who the hell is my partner then?!"

"Phew…"

By some complete miracle, the foyer returned to whatever activity they were doing before and switched off their attention on Yuri and the girl.

"Okay…At least that's settled…Hello! My name's Yuri…I-I'm not actually supposed to be here…uhuhu…" Yuri introduced herself to her new partner, trying to be as gentle as possible. Unfortunately, the girl still seemed quite shaken and hugged her book even tighter.

"That's a first…" Yuri noted inaudibly. "E-Erm…You like reading I see…I-I like reading too…M-May I see what book you're reading?"

The girl held the book up for Yuri to see, still not having said a single word. Of course, Yuri knew what book it was, she just had to-

"Ah…Life of Pi…It's one of my all time favourite books!" Yuri smiled warmly, which thankfully seemed to ease the girl, even if it was just a little. Maybe the fact that they shared similar interests calmed her down slightly. Still no response from her, though, meaning it was time for Yuri to pull the trigger.

"You know…I actually know the perfect place where we can sit and discuss books…would you like to come with me?"

The girl looked down for a while as she contemplated her options. Meanwhile, Yuri held her breath, waiting for her response.

"…"

"Come on…you can do this…" Yuri thought to herself as she watched the timid girl think. It was an extremely foreign situation for Yuri to be in, but something about this girl just-

"O-Okay…" the girl finally whispered from under her hair. Yuri heaved the loudest sigh of relief possible.

"A-Ah…" Yuri gasped, trying to remain composed. "F-Fantastic! Come, I-I'll show you the way!"

Yuri helped the girl up as they began walking towards the senior block. The girl wasn't talking to her, but at the very least, she was out of that shit hole. As Yuri continued walking alongside her hopefully new friend, she noticed something was off about her skin..; something underneath all that hair…Was it a birthmark? No-Now the Yuri thought about it, her right hand looked a little weird too. It couldn't be a birthmark…could it?

"E-Erm…" Yuri opened her mouth, regretting it instantly as the girl grinded to a halt and looked at her as if she just said something offensive. Now that she was looking at her head on, Yuri could fully see the extent of…

"Oh…" Yuri said to herself sadly as she looked at the girl standing in front of her. "NonoNO, bad Yuri! This is exactly how people look at YOU. Shame on you! Quick! Say something natural!"

Yuri smiled. "May I ask, what's your name?"

…

"Okay! Made it!"

Anon walked up the driveway leading to the Asoka household and up the steps to the front door. Cautiously letting himself in, he called out for his childhood friend, but was greeted by her mother instead.

"Oh hello again Anon! Come right on in; Sayori's up in her room! She just finished lunch." Midori informed the visiting boy.

"Hello Mrs. Asoka! Ah I see…What delicacy have you whipped up for her this time?"

"Oh stop it you! It's just some simple curry I made out of leftover ingredients, it's nothing much…Now Lisa's cooking…That's some amazing culinary skills right there…"

"Hahaha! Yeah I guess…Welp; I guess I'll be upstairs then."

"Of course, of course! Just don't stay out later than what your Mom allows."

"I know, I know…"

With that, Anon thanked Midori again and headed upstairs to Sayori's room. When he arrived at her door, the bubbly girl was already standing by it with a big smile plastered on her face.

"Hello Anon! I'm so happy you're here!"

Anon smiled back as the two childhood friends entered Sayori's room, shutting it behind them.

…

**End of Chapter One**


	18. Season Two - Chapter 2: The Anime Club

"I HEAR VOICES IN MY HEAD; THEY COUNCIL ME, THEY UNDERSTAND, THEY TALK TO ME!"

Anon and Sayori sat by the computer screen at the latter's desk. The table was piled to the ceiling with worksheets and notes; the only clear area being in front of the monitor where the mouse and keyboard were. A few bottles of pills sat next to the PC.

"I can't believe we're watching something that's two weeks old." Anon said, his eyes fixated onto the screen.

"Hey, meanie! It's not my fault Monday Night Raw's so boring…" Sayori defended herself.

"You know, you're the last person on this planet who I would believe is a WWE fan. I mean, I knew we grew up watching it together but, I thought you would grow bored of it once…I don't know, school started and you discovered what blood was?"

"What do you mean? Why would I grow bored of it?" Sayori asked Anon, her eyes also fixated onto her monitor screen.

"Not bored…it's more like…I never took you to be big on violence, you know? I mean, of course I know you hate violence; it's just…you know what I mean, right?"

Sayori stayed quiet for a few seconds before responding. "I do…I don't know; I guess it's because I know it's fake…I mean, they're still getting hurt, but they're professionals, you know? I think the important thing is, would you stop a fight if it were happening in front of you?"

Now it was Anon's turn to think.

"If the people fighting are smaller than me, then yes. Otherwise, I would just tell them to stop but not actually get involved."

"Then that's good! Besides, they called it the "PG Era" for a reason. I haven't seen blood in forever…"

The two friends continued watching the screen.

"We're supposed to be doing homework…" Anon noted.

"I know…"

Finally, the both of them turned to face each other.

"One more video." They said in unison before bursting out into laughter.

"Ehehehe! Oh Anon…You're such a goof, you know that?" Sayori giggled.

"Heh heh…Learned it from the best. But, we should probably continue soon."

"Yeah I know…I just…need to take a tactical break." Sayori explained.

"Heh heh heh…of course. We'll go at whatever pace suits you best, okay?"

As Anon returned his eyes to the screen, Sayori's stayed glued onto Anon's. There was something about his tired and wistful, yet determined eyes that made Sayori feel…safe...when around him. His innocent yet warm smile, his messy hair that he always rubs in an awkward conversation…something about it was just so…trusting. Something…so-

"Sayori?"

"UWAH!"

Sayori fell out of her chair and onto the ground with a thud.

"Sayori! You okay?"

"Owwwww…" the girl moaned, clutching the back of her head. "You meanie! Why'd you scare me for?!"

"Scare you?! The video's over!" Anon exclaimed, pointing both index fingers to the monitor screen.

"E-Eh? You mean the Randy Orton one?"

"What?! No! The one after that-the Cena one! Wait, what's going on?"

Sayori stared at Anon, then at the screen, then back at Anon, before blushing out of embarrassment. "Eh…I-I must have spaced out again…ehehehe…"

Anon grew slightly concerned. He dragged his chair over to Sayori and put his finger on her nose. "Oh you…Are you feeling okay; do you need to rest? We can always complete our homework after dinner."

Sayori smiled and gently pushed away Anon's finger. "Anon, I'm fine, okay? I just…I don't know; the video must've been really boring and I just lost interest…come on, let's finish this." The bubbly girl got up and dusted herself before sitting down on her bed where her worksheets laid spread out.

"Are you sure? Because we can rest if you want to." Anon asked, still not convinced.

"I told you, I'm fine…Really! Sigh…Anon…you don't have to keep worrying about me, you know? I know I've said this…before…but this time I really mean it!"

"Sayori, I'm serious. You just spaced out in front of me for no reason!"

"Yes reason! I told you; the video was boring and I was feeling tired-"

"Okay then; if you're feeling tired then we should take a break."

"That's not what I meant, Anon…Right now I'm feeling fine-"

"Sayori, please just take a break-"

"Anon, I'm fine!" Sayori shouted, snapping Anon out of his pity party. The two stared at each other for a moment before Anon buried his face in his hands and let out a heavy sigh.

"…Sigh…I'm sorry…I shouldn't have…ah fuck…"

All the while, Sayori watched him sadly. "You're blaming yourself again…"

"Huh, what?" Anon looked up, surprised. "What-no…Nonono Sayori, I'm not blaming myself, okay? I'm not blaming myself for anything…I stopped doing that ages ago…Sayori…I'm just…worried…"

"But I told you: You have nothing to worry about! Dr. Henry's really been a big help, I promise! I'm really feeling better…Not totally better, but better..; that should count for something right?"

Anon looked at Sayori's concerned face, a pang of guilt radiating inside his heart. "…sigh…You're right Sayori, that's really good. It's really good that you're feeling better and I'm sorry for being so…jumpy-is that the word? Jumpy…"

"There you go…you big dummy…Come on, let's finish this-for real this time."

After that brief moment of tension, Anon finally relented and smiled. "Alright, Sayori."

"Yay! I knew you could do it!" Sayori cheered as Anon hopped onto the bed next to her. "So, where did we stop at?"

"Err…oh yeah-From what I heard, Mrs. Chen's moved on to Genetics…so…Natsuki asked me to hand you this…" Anon explained, hauling out a stack of notes from his bag. "There's one for notes and one worksheet one, plus tutorials and the actual assessment for the topic."

"Thanks Anon!" Sayori cheerfully thanked the boy. "Oh well…guess I better start reading!"

"If you need anything just jab me in the shoulder, okay? Mr. Yamamoto's going full steam ahead and I honestly think I'm not gonna be able to catch up."

"Oh don't say that; you're Jap is great!"

"My interim report literally says "Potential not realized."" Anon informed the optimistic girl, raising his left eyebrow.

"Oh-well…eheheh…But you have potential, so there! I win! Now keep your chin up or I'll get angry!"

Anon opened his mouth, but his words were dried up by Sayori's tryhard angry face.

"Yeah you win, now get reading! I don't Natsuki coming up to me and scolding me because…yeah you know why."

With that, the two childhood friends resumed their homework.

…

…

…

"So how's Natsuki?" Sayori asked after half an hour of intense note reading and highlighting.

"Hm? What?" Anon looked around, daze, having been snapped out of his comprehension.

"Ehehehe! Natsuki, you donut, who else would I be asking you about?" Sayori could barely contain her laughter over the confuzzled boy.

"Ah-right…heh heh…" Anon laughed awkwardly, his face turning red. "…Well, you know, she's doing fine; the whole cub is actually…and by club I mean, you know…the members…Although we're thinking of starting again soon."

"That's great! I'm so happy for you guys!" Sayori squealed gleefully.

"Aw shucks." Anon chuckled.

"So I take it that you and Natsuki are still going strong?"

Anon could only blush as he thought of the pink-haired girl. Sayori was right, though. Somehow, after all the chaos that was happening over the past month, the two of them were still…kinda going strong. Anon didn't know what to call their relationship and he was pretty sure Natsuki didn't either; It was just two people liking each other without really acknowledging it.

Although maybe they did but didn't realise. Anyhow, they have been hanging out during school hours mostly; with Yuri joining them most of the time as well. As for Monika…

"Hehe…I guess we are. Natsuki wants to come over tomorrow, is that okay?"

"Of course! You two are just SOOO cute together! Ehehe!"

"Oh come on, Sayori…Don't make such a big deal out of it…"

"Ehehehe! Aw, you're going all red, Anon!"

"Well, why wouldn't I? I like her!"

"So cute! Anyway, I can't wait to go back to school and see all my friends! Hopefully you guys restart the club by the time I'm able to go back!"

"That's not the word you wanna use, but you know what? I got a good feeling about it. Yeah. The club's gonna be back in action when you return!"

"Yay!" Sayori cheered. "Hooray for Monika!"

Anon felt his heart tense up. Struggling to keep his smile, he held his arms up similarly to Sayori and cheered as much as he could.

"Yeah, err…hooray for…Monika!"

"WOOO! YEAH LITERATURE CLUB!"

"Okay Sayori, you need to relax a bit, alright? The club won't be able to handle your supernova energy if that's the case."

"Aw fine, you meanie. One last thing-I know that I keep asking this question, but-"

"Are there any new members? Honestly, I've given up asking Natsuki at this point…and besides; even if we did, it's not like they have anything to work with, right? I mean, the clubroom's empty everyday; I don't even know how often Nat and Yuri go there to read and Monika…"

Sayori gave Anon a weird look. "What about Monika?"

"N-Nothing; she…she's probably involved in the Talent Show planning…"

"Talent Show planning?"

"Oh yeah! I forgot to tell you: The school's organising a talent show, both for individuals and clubs! We're pairing up with the Anime Club and-yes, Natsuki is thrilled."

"That's super awesome! Oh there's no excuse for them not to meet up today then! In fact, you should've been there as well!" Sayori exclaimed. "You can just pass me today's homework tomorrow, you know; it's not like I have to hand it in anytime soon…"

"Well, I wanted to be here today, okay? I promise I'll go to the club meeting IF they hold one on Wednesday." Anon replied.

"Aww you're so sweet, Anon."

"Just looking out for my best friend, that's all. Although by the time I return to the club, I doubt I would have much left to offer, considering they're probably gonna come up with everything by today."

"Oh don't say that; your ideas are so creative! Don't sell yourself short…" Sayori gave her friend encouragement. "They'll love your ideas, I promise!"

"Heh heh…What am I going to do without you Sayori…But yeah, they're probably brainstorming up some intricate poem recital or skit or something as we speak."

"Yeah I agree…hard at work…"

With that, the two friends resumed their homework in silence.

…

"Woah woah woah woah, slow down! Everyone just SHUT UP!"

The entire club room hushed after Natsuki's shrill command.

"N-Natsuki…Please don't do that…Y-You're gonna scare her…" Yuri pleaded, still stuck in the doorway.

"I'm sorry Yuri, but everyone here has to hold their frikin' horses. That includes me so…hooh…deep breaths. Alright…Monika, start from the beginning. What happened after I left?"

"Ah…Well…I was just finishing up admin work for the student council when Tiffany stopped by. She asked to join the club." Monika explained, while Tiffany gave a polite wave to Natsuki.

"Okay…that's why I was so shook; we found a new member as well. Yuri?"

The club and Tiffany turned to look at Yuri.

"R-Right…Erm, guys…I would like all of you to meet…Hanako…"

Yuri took a step to the right, making space for the new girl to enter.

No one entered.

"It's okay, everyone here's super friendly…Ah-Natsuki might be a little brash, but she is still well-meaning and approachable!" Yuri gave her new partner some encouragement, which seemed to work as she finally entered the clubroom. "Hanako's from Yamaku High School…They're having some sort of exchange program where some of their students come over to learn with us for two weeks…I-I don't really know much else about it…sorry…"

All eyes were now on the new girl. She had dark, faded purple hair, slightly similar to Yuri's but not as long; only down to her shoulders. She also had long bangs which covered mostly the right side of her face. But what was most noticeable about her was the weird markings on the right side of her face and body. Her right hand could also be seen with these same markings. She was a rather peculiar sight.

"Welcome to the Literature Club, Hanako!" Monika greeted warmly, sensing the tension in the atmosphere. "My name is Monika. I'm the club president and this is Tiffany."

"Erm, you guys can call me Tiff." Tiffany explained.

"And I assume you've already met Natsuki and Yuri?"

Hanako nodded timidly, still refusing to say anything.

"Wonderful! This…this is splendid! Welp to the two new members, welcome! Unfortunately, I cannot make you both official members yet as not all the current members are here, but you're free to stay here and do whatever you want, so long as it is Literature related!" Monika explained, giving her two hopefully future members the rundown of the club.

"Sounds good to me." Tiffany said. "Come, Hanako; we new members should stick together!" The green haired girl extended her arm towards Hanako, but she remained standing in her place, clutching her book. "Oh don't be shy, it's alright! I don't bite."

Still no movement from the timid girl.

"Erm, perhaps you could read with me?" Yuri offered. This time, Hanako immediately agreed and walked over towards Yuri, the two girls sitting down at a desk together.

"Oh dear…I hope I haven't scared her…" Tiffany lamented, a hint of guilt in her voice.

"It's alright Tiff. Trust me; it was the same with Yuri for a few weeks." Monika reassured the apologetic girl.

"Really? She doesn't seem so shy to me…" Tiffany noted as she glanced over at the purple-haired maiden.

"Well, that's because the both of us have whipped her into shape, ain't that right, Monika?" Natsuki proclaimed proudly.

"Ahaha…don't credit me so much, Natsuki…you were the one who made her feel normal and like she belonged…all I did was send her into panic most of the time…"

"Can you please take the credit so that it doesn't go to Dean? Because he doesn't deserve it."

"Who's Dean?" Tiffany asked, curious.

"No one important…" Monika muttered angrily. "Anyway, yeah. You're free to do whatever you want Tiffany."

"Hold on just a second! We haven't formally met yet-I'm Natsuki Tamura." The spunky girl introduced herself, sticking out her hand.

"And I'm Tiffany Maxwell, so nice to finally meet the renowned baker I've heard so much about." Tiffany replied, shaking Natsuki's hand. The latter's face, however, turned pink upon hearing the compliment.

"W-Well…So you HAVE heard…aha! Nice to see that my reputation precedes me."

"Oh aren't you just the cutest little thing, Hahaha!" Tiffany chortled, clearly amused by Natsuki's reaction.

"DON'T CALL ME CUTE!" The petite girl snapped. "I'm ready to kick you out right NOW!"

"THAT…won't be necessary, Natsuki." Monika stepped in before Natsuki could erupt further.

"Don't call her cute…got it." Tiffany said to herself.

"Well if I can't kick you out, I guess you'll have to settle for being on the ropes. I got my eye on you, you hear me?!" Natsuki spat.

"Alright, alright…I'll behave." Tiffany conceded.

"Hmph." The petite girl huffed, crossing her arms. "Well, the more the merrier I guess…plus, it doesn't hurt to have two extra brains to help brainstorm for Talent Show ideas."

"Oh-that's right!" Monika exclaimed, clasping her hands together. "The Talent Show! I'm going to have to meet with the captain of the Anime Club and discuss on what to do…"

"Err, Monika?" Natsuki gave Monika a concerned look. "Don't you think we ALL should be involved in the discussion?"

"Of course! Everyone can pitch in whatever and however much they want! It's just…I still need to meet with him first…club requisites…"

"Sweet. You know what; I think I'll come with you. Maybe the Anime Club needs some spicing up from old Natsuki over here." Natsuki suggested.

"You're more than welcome to. Besides; I'm sure Yuri can keep everything under control." Monika agreed, glancing over to Yuri who was still absorbed in her book.

"Erm…Maybe I should come with you guys as well…" Tiffany asked, clearly not enthusiastic about being left alone with the two readers. "N-Not that I don't want to spend time with them…it's just…I don't think there'll be much talking involved."

"No, I agree with you. We should let those two bond in peace-they're literally mirror images of each other." Natsuki chimed in. "Alright. Let's go then!"

With that, the three girls headed towards the door.

"Oh? Are you guys going somewhere?" Yuri asked, her head popping out from over her book.

"Yeah, we're going over to the Anime Club to discus Talent Show preparations. Erm, do you wanna come with us?" Monika informed the purple-haired girl.

"Erm, no thank you…You guys have fun, alright?" Yuri said softly, waving goodbye to the group.

"Will do! See ya, Yuri!" Natsuki waved back as the three girls exited the clubroom.

As Yuri returned her attention to her book, she soon felt a light tap on her shoulder.

"Eh? Oh, what is it Hanako?"

Hanako stared into Yuri's eyes deeply, her lips quivering as if she were trying but failing to say something. Knowing how it feels to be in the girl's position, Yuri didn't pressure the girl and instead remained patient.

"Th-Thank you…"

"Huh? Erm…why are you thanking me for?" Yuri asked, puzzled.

"For just now…What you did for me…" Hanako replied.

"Oh, that? It-It's nothing…I just…something about the way those girls not taking it seriously…it just struck a nerve within me; like can you imagine being assigned to shelter and guide these visiting students and all you can care about are the points you're getting from it? Despicable…" Yuri ranted, shaking her head disapprovingly.

"Well, thank you anyways…The last thing I needed was to be stared at all day in a foreign environment…"

"Oh trust me; I know how that feels; that was me a month back…although I still do feel rather shy around others…I couldn't let the same thing that happened to me happen to someone else…" Yuri said, shivering as memories of past incidents flooded her head.

"Erm…s-sorry that that happened to you…it must've been awful…" Hanako said sadly.

"Oh don't be…And it's still happening right now; just not as bad now…But don't worry, okay? Everyone in the club are amazing and wonderful people…I know Monika seems intimidating and I'm not sure about Natsuki, but trust me; they are patient and kind and won't stand for anyone who gives you a hard time." Yuri assured her partner.

"How did you join this club, Yuri? Did Monika invite you?"

"Yes, but not in that sense. We didn't know each other before the club; she saw me getting teased by her clique and she decided to sit down with me after they left. I was a complete disaster talking to her and I think I even freaked out and left abruptly, but a few days later she and Natsuki approached me in the Library and…well, here I am now."

Hanako looked at Yuri intently. "If-If I'm being honest…I-I wouldn't say I write that much poetry…I just like to read, that's all…"

"Oh-that's fine, Hanako." Yuri said reassuringly. "Most of the club members never really wrote much poetry prior to joining either. And I wasn't keen on sharing mine, but thanks to Monika's leadership, we all managed to develop our poetry skills AND learn to open up at the same time. Natsuki and I were…at odds for the first few sessions..; our styles were night and day, but after a while, we learned to accept and understand the other party's style and language."

"Well, that's good to hear…" Hanako commented. "Although I don't know if I can…share…my poems…if I wrote them…but I'll definitely try."

"There's no pressure at all Hanako, really! I was a complete wreck sharing my first poem…and I managed to cause a fight to break out between Natsuki and I…It's something I'm not proud of."

"Erm…maybe you could give me a few tips? I mean, not now of course, but when we have to write and share them..?"

"Of course! I'd love to be of help!" Yuri smiled warmly, excited of the aspect that she would finally be able to share her tips and advice with someone else.

"Thank you Yuri…you're very kind…" Hanako thanked her new friend graciously, causing her to blush profusely.

"A-Ah…You're very welcome, Hanako. Shall we go back to reading?"

"Yes…let's…"

The two girls returned to reading in relatively silence, but Hanako perked up again after a while.

"Erm…Wh-what kind of books do you like to read, Yuri? I don't think I've seen that book you're reading before…"

Yuri turned back to the cover page of her book and smiled.

"Hmm…Lately-And I mean REALLY lately, I've been completely into horror. And, again, it's all thanks to Natsuki. We have this thing where we read stories from the other person's preferred genre, so she gave me a horror Manga to read and that only solidified my interest in the genre. I had my share of horror novels, but this one I hold dear to my heart." Yuri turned the cover fully towards Hanako.

"The Portrait of Markov…Sounds…interesting…and…ominous…eugh-the eye just…gives me the creeps…"

"Uhuhu! That's the whole idea behind it; it draws you in with this weird sensation of dread yet mystery. You hate it but you can't help it. I read it four times and each time I learn something new about the story; something deep in the lore I didn't catch the first few times; it's all because of the eye."

"I'm not really into horror…I prefer coming of age stories…the exception being _Life of Pi_; It's one of my all time favourites." Hanako explained, smiling.

"Ah I see…I enjoy these sorts of stories every now and then. So I take it as you've never heard of Aloysius Commings?"

"The name sounds familiar…"

"Well, he wrote _Portrait of Markov_! And he has this convention thing where fans of his work come and listen to him give advice and writing tips…Have you ever been to one? Not just him; any of your favourite authors."

"A-Ahaha…all my favourite authors are dead…" Hanako chuckled slightly.

"O-Oh…sorry…"

"No it's alright. It's to be expected anyway; my stories are old stories…and I mean OLD…except for Yann Martel, of course."

"Oh-Then did you go to the Jaipur Literary Festival? I heard he went there with some other prestigious writers…"

"N-No…I-I didn't have anyone to go with at the time…my friend is blind anyway, so… I didn't bother asking her…" Hanako admitted.

"Oh, I'm so sorry."

"No, don't be. It's not like I wanted to go anyway…I would probably die of anxiety in a sea of fifty million literature fans."

"Oh I know how that feels. I queued from launch day to lunchtime while waiting for Dr. Coming's autograph."Yuri explained, flipping the pages to show Hanako his signature.

"You actually got a signature from your favourite author? That's pretty awesome!" Hanako smiled.

"It is, isn't it...?" Yuri smiled back, staring knowingly at the man's signature.

Both girls continued staring at the autograph for a while, until Yuri suddenly snapped out of her trance.

"S-Sorry! I must have spaced out…"

"It's okay; I spaced out as well…" Hanako replied.

"Ah-well…we can stop our silent reading if you're feeling tired." Yuri suggested. "Maybe I could make some tea for you?"

"Tea?" Hanako looked confused upon hearing the T word.

"Huhu! It's always humorous to see everyone's reaction to that…The teacher who used this classroom during the day allowed up to store my tea set in the walk-in closet."

"Really? Wow that's…that's certainly something…" Hanako responded, still slightly shocked by the fact.

"Uhuhu! I'll go prepare it for you." Yuri gave Hanako a warm smile before heading over to the walk-in closet.

…

"Alright; here we are. Otaku Central. Monika-You ready?"

"I-I guess?"

"Tiff? What about you?"

"The States love Anime as much as you do, pal."

"Very well then…prepare yourselves for Naruto running and aggressive nosebleeds…I'm opening this door in three...two-get ready-two...t-; I'm serious: ya'll better prepare yours-"

"Just open the door already!" Monika snapped impatiently.

"Ugh-Fine." Natsuki groaned before swinging the door open. As the three girls poked their heads in, they were immediately greeted by dozens of heads turning their way. Almost all of them had headphones in and were watching Anime on their phones. "Glad to see nothing's changed since the last time I visited." Natsuki said sarcastically. "Alright, president; you do all the talking here, me and Tiff will go see what we're working with."

"Can I help the three of you?" A bespectacled boy said, standing up from the teacher's desk.

"Alright girlfriend; he's all yours." Natsuki said, before walking away with Tiffany.

"For God's-ahem, sorry for interrupting your session…I'm Monika from the Literature Club." Monika introduced herself to the boy. As he walked up to her, Monika noticed that his arms were significantly more muscular than the rest of the members, which Monika also realised were almost entirely all male. He was also rather tall; taller than Monika herself and possibly Anon.

"Oh, YOU'RE that Monika! I've been told that I would be working with you for the next two weeks, haha! My name is Mako; I'm the captain of the Anime Club." The bespectacled boy stuck out his right arm, which Monika shook in return.

"Ah, it's nice to meet you, Mako." Monika smiled sweetly. "So…this is the Anime club, huh? I gotta say; I don't really know what to expect."

"Oh that's okay. That's what everybody said when they visited our club during the festival. They're all like: So what do you do all day, watch Anime? And I'm like, that IS what we do, but this and that, but they'd all turned off after I said yes to the first part." Mako explained.

"Ahaha…I guess the festival didn't go so well for both our clubs huh…" Monika laughed awkwardly.

"I heard what happened…and I'm sorry. No one should have to go through that sort of thing." Mako apologised.

"No, it's…it's over and we're finding our footing again…so…you have any plans on what we might do?"

"Well, I was planning on organising a meeting between both clubs but…judging by how many people we have…I doubt that's possible…How many members does your club have, Monika?"

"Five-Well, technically seven, but two of them aren't confirmed members yet." Monika informed the captain.

"Hmm…then I suppose I can just bring along my vice-captain…I don't think any of the others would object to anything so long as they get to watch their shows so…Roy? Roy!"

"What? What happened?" A short boy also donning spectacles stood up at the far end of the classroom.

"Gonna need you to come with me!" Mako shouted from across the room.

"You got it!" Roy shouted back before walking up to the two presidents.

"Alright. You wanna round up your members?"

"Sure. Err, Natsuki? Tiff?" Monika called out to the two girls who were already interacting with some of the Anime Club members.

"You're watching THAT?! Come on, guys; have you not heard of…never mind." Natsuki groaned, rolling her eyes. "Yo Monika, what?"

"We need to discuss Talent Show plans. Come on."

"Alright, alright…check it out; I'm serious." Natsuki gave one last recommendation to the two boys staring confusingly at her before departing with Tiffany.

"Guys, this is Mako. He's the captain of the Anime Club." Monika introduced the girls to the young man.

"Oh yeah? What's the last Anime you ever watched?" Natsuki asked sceptically.

"One Punch Man Season Two. Episode Ten's coming out tomorrow." Mako responded.

"Okay, okay...decent choice…what about you?" Natsuki turned her attention to the scrawny vice-president.

"One…Piece?" Roy hesitantly answered.

"Seriously? No one here has ever watched…forget it. Let's go discuss some stuff."

"Not over here. Maybe we can have a meeting in the Literature Club; so as to not disturb your members?" Monika suggested.

"Got my vote." Natsuki said, and Tiffany nodded behind her.

"Alright then, I guess. Let's go." Mako announced before the group walked out of the clubroom.

…

…

…

"We're back guys!" Monika greeted Yuri and Hanako as she pushed the clubroom door open. "Oh, you made tea for us?"

"Err, yes. You guys were much faster than I thought…" Yuri noted. Meanwhile, Hanako had reverted back to hiding behind her book after seeing so many people walk in. "…O-Oh? Wh-Who are the new guys?"

"Yuri, Hanako, I would like you both to meet Mako and Roy; captain and vice-captain of the Anime Club!"

"Ah-It's very nice to meet the both of you…" Yuri greeted the two boys shyly, while Hanako merely peered over her book.

"I know Anon and Sayori aren't here, so maybe we can just brainstorm a few ideas so that when they come back, they have a basic sense of what's going on." Monika explained. "Tiffany? Hanako? Would you two like to join us?"

"N-No thank you…Hanako replied meekly, resulting in an encouraging pat on the shoulder from her partner.

"It's okay Hanako; we'll try not to disturb you." Yuri said soothingly, which seemingly put Hanako at ease before she retreated back to her book.

"I don't mind helping out." Tiffany responded. "So what have you guys got in mind?"

"Ahaha…well, I don't really have much, but I did think of something easy we could do that would pair well with the Anime Club's themes." Monika explained. "I was thinking we perform a skit from an Anime and in between that we recite our poems…kinda like a Macbeth play or something. Plus, it's kinda because we didn't really have a chance to do that for the festival…"

"Yeah I like that idea; well, the first half of it. There's no way I'm performing my poems anymore." Natsuki stated. "I know I agreed the first time, but after all the bad press we got from the Festival, yeah. We'll just be bringing the Anime Club down with us."

"I-I agree…if I couldn't do it before…th-there is no way I could do it now…" Yuri added, a bit of her stutter coming back.

Monika felt her heart sink after hearing what her members had to say, but kept her smile as much as she could. "A-Ah-Well…does anyone have any other ideas?"

"I was thinking similarly to yours, Monika." Mako said. "I had this idea of, well not really a skit, but parody of Animes featuring you guys as the characters? Basically I created this idea before knowing which club we would get paired with so it could work with any of them; basketball team can pretend to be in a basketball anime, Floorball can pretend to be in a Floorball anime and, yeah you get the idea."

"A Literature Club Anime…sounds…interesting…" Natsuki commented. "How would you go about doing it?"

"Well there needs to be a script and everything, but don't worry; our self-proclaimed author can help with that." Mako explained, turning towards his vice-president.

"Err…" Roy's face grew red after seeing everyone turn their attention over to him. "…not really author…I-I write fan fiction, okay?"

"Great. We'll be putting a fan fiction writer in charge of a script for a Literature Club Anime. Literature Club fan fiction! Everyone loves that, right?" Natsuki groaned, rolling her eyes.

"Natsuki…be nice." Monika gave the petite girl a stern look, only for her to huff and fold her arms. "Besides, a Literature Club fan fiction can't be all bad…" Monika added, turning to…

"E-Erm…" Natsuki narrowed her eyes at her president's weird behaviour.

"M-Monika? What are you looking at?" Yuri asked nervously, which seemed to snap Monika out of her sudden trance.

"O-Oh! Err…n-nothing! Ahahaha! A-Anyway…I like the idea, Mako. What about you, Yuri? Do you have any ideas?"

"Hmm…Now that I think about it; there really isn't much we can do, huh?" Yuri admitted sadly. "We really only have poetry recital and that's it…none of us are any good at performing besides you, Monika…"

"I agree with Yuri." Natsuki spoke up. "It isn't in character for us to be singing or dancing…although acting might work…"

"I mean, my idea doesn't actually need to be the one we use, you know?" Mako reminded the group.

"Yeah I understand, but it's not like we're spoilt for choice at the moment. If anyone has any ideas, by all means; chime in, but I gotta be honest: I got nothing right now; at least nothing that doesn't have the potential to embarrass ourselves." Natsuki ranted. "As of right now, I think we'll be better off waiting for Anon and Sayori to get back."

"You're right, Natsuki…" Monika admitted, still with slight disappointment in her voice. "We shouldn't be wasting their time either."

"What? Nonono, you're not wasting our time!" Mako exclaimed. "We're very happy to be here, aren't we Roy?"

"Hm? Oh yeah; very happy. I am err…ecstatic. Brilliant, I'd say!" Roy cheered, pumped his fist into the air.

Natsuki could barely control her snort, while Mako let out a sad laugh. "Well, I guess we better get back to our base of operations before things get…well…weird. C'mon Roy. It was very nice to meet all of you."

"Likewise!" Monika smiled sweetly before sticking her hand out once more. Mako shook it firmly and with a smile of his own before departing with his vice-captain.

The girls stood there staring at the wide open clubroom door before Natsuki finally spoke up.

"Wow. He certainly is something, isn't he?"

"He definitely is...And he's certainly not what I expected." Monika replied.

"I know, right? I thought the Anime Club were all otakus and weebs doing nothing except watching Anime on their phones, and for the most part that's correct, but he seems genuinely interested in the club and wants to make something big out of it." Natsuki commented on the captain who had just left.

"I agree. He seems really dedicated to making it grow." Tiffany added.

"He reminds me of you a little bit, Monika." Yuri noted.

"M-Me?" Monika's face turned slightly red. "Ahaha…I can't really say I'm as dedicated as he is…"

"Oh who are you kidding; you're the president of a LITERATURE club!" Natsuki exclaimed. "Any sane person would have jumped ship after the festival, if not earlier, but we're still here! I don't know if that means you're an amazing president or we're just stupid, but I know I'm not stupid, so by default that makes you a great president!"

Monika raised an eyebrow, only to giggle in concession. "Ahahaha! What would the club be without you, Natsuki?"

"Probably peaceful and quiet." Yuri replied casually.

"OH! SHE GOT YOU GOOD!" Tiffany screamed out loud, while Monika could barely contain her laughter. Even Hanako was giggling from behind her book.

"YOU-! You got me…" Natsuki resigned. "Anyway, what I'm saying is; I trust this guy to not completely screw up our performance if there will even be one. But I guess we should hear what Sayori and Anon have to say."

The club stayed in relative silence for a while.

"Speaking of Sayori…" Natsuki spoke up once more. "She's returning in a week, so I think we better hold some kind of return celebration for her. Call it a side-quest to the talent show performance."

"Yeah, definitely." Monika agreed.

"I agree as well." Yuri added.

"I'm going over to her house tomorrow with Anon; I'll tell him about the plan in secret." Natsuki announced.

"Oh-you're going over tomorrow?" Monika asked.

"Yep. If any of you wanna come, you should…probably ask Anon first; it's not my call."

"It's alright Natsuki. I need to guide Hanako around the school anyway." Yuri replied, giving her partner a warm smile.

"Y-Yeah…I don't think I'll be going either…" Monika replied as well, her tone noticeably less confident. "I-I need to watch over the…club…"

"Well, whatever works for you guys, I suppose. Tiff? What about you: You wanna come meet the last two members? Give yourself a head start?"

"Haha! No, it's fine." Tiffany politely declined. "I don't think I'll have much to say anyway so..."

"I wonder what the two of them are doing now…" Natsuki said. "Probably something productive; given how serious Anon is about her doing her work."

"Probably…" Monika replied, staring off into the distance. "…probably…"

…

"Sayori! Anon! Hi guys!"

"Hi Mio!"

"Hey Mio."

"It's so great to see you guys again! Uh-Please! Come in!" Mio opened her door fully, allowing the childhood friends to enter. "How did you guys come here?"

"By bus." Anon explained. "We considered walking, but it's burning hot outside and we weren't in the sweating mode so…"

"Ah, I see…Would you guys like any drinks?" Mio offered.

"I'm fine with anything."

"Do you still have Ribena?" Sayori inquired, her mouth starting to drool.

"I didn't expect anything less." Mio grinned. "Is Ribena okay for you too, Anon?"

"Yep, sure."

With that, Mio disappeared into her small kitchen, while Anon and Sayori sat down on an old brown couch.

"Um…wow…You weren't kidding…" Anon muttered quietly so only Sayori could hear him.

"Yeah…It's not something we like to discuss…but I just support her whenever I can, you know?" Sayori explained. "…That and…another…reason…"

"Alright; here you go guys!" Mio announced as she walked out of her kitchen, gingerly holding three packets of Ribena.

"Yay! Thanks Mio!" Sayori cheered, eagerly grabbing one packet out of the flustered girl's hands.

"Thank you, Mio." Anon thanked the girl as well, carefully collecting his packet.

"Oh you guys…You don't have to thank me…You can thank my granddad." Mio informed, resulting in a look of confusion from Anon. The boy looked over to Sayori, but the girl was already sipping down her drink thirstily.

"Uh-Anyway…Sayori wanted to come over here to finish up our homework since the two of you share some classes, and I guess we share teachers but for different periods, right?" Anon asked.

"Yep. Sayori told me a lot about you…says you help her with about anything and everything." Mio explained, giving a cheeky grin to an already blushing Sayori.

"Heh heh…you're not wrong there." Anon smiled knowingly.

"Well, I can't say that I'm not jealous. I don't have any guy friends…" Mio commented. "Anyway, let's start!"

"Yay! Let's go!" Sayori cheered, rummaging around in her bag for her homework.

A few minutes after the trio got to work and the remainder of their assignments, a frail old woman limped her way out of the room all the way at the back of the small apartment.

"Mio? Who are your guests?" the old woman whispered almost inaudibly. Anon swore he could hear Mio let out a soft gasp of air, but thought nothing of it.

"Oh! Granny; this is Sayori and this is Anon; they're friends from school and they're here to do homework with me!" Mio introduced the childhood friends to her grandmother.

"Hi Granny Arakida!" Sayori greeted cheerfully.

"Hello…" Anon followed, now growing more confused at Sayori's surprising familiarity with the old lady.

"Ah…It's very nice to meet the two of you…please; make yourselves at home-Mio? Have you given them drinks? You're the host."

"Yes Granny…I have." Mio answered.

"Very good, very good…Would-err…would anyone like to try my seasoned vegetables? I cooked them for Mio and Hideki…"

"Uhm, no thanks Granny Arakida..." Sayori replied, slightly less enthused.

"Who's-"

"Her grandfather." Sayori answered Anon's question quickly.

"Oh. Well, I'm good as well, Mrs. Arakida…" the boy declined as well.

"Ah…very well then…I better not disturb you three…Study hard, okay?" the old lady chimed before hobbling back into the back room.

"I will, Granny…" Mio replied, before returning her gaze to the two friends. "Well, she's right…we better get back to work…"

"Yeah, but just before we do, Mio, may I use your restroom real quick?" Anon asked, slightly embarrassed.

"Sure. My toilet doesn't have a button; instead there's a cable tie holding the lever. All you need to do is push it down." Mio explained, looking more embarrassed than Anon.

"You got it."

As Anon walked past the kitchen to the toilet, he noticed that underneath the kitchen sink and behind the fridge were boxes upon boxes of Ribena packets.

"The hell? Who loves Ribena THAT much? Ah-I shouldn't judge; I was a kid once…" the boy shrugged before finally entering the dilapidated bathroom and shutting the curtain behind him.

…

…

…

An hour later, Mio's grandmother walked back out of the back room towards the toilet. This time, she seemed happier once she laid eyes on them.

"Sayori! Mio didn't tell me you were coming over today!" she exclaimed, infinitely jollier than before.

"Hi Granny Arakida!" Sayori greeted, somehow not surprised by the old lady's reaction.

"Who's your friend?"

"This is Anon, Granny Arakida! He's my childhood friend and I brought him over to help with homework." Sayori explained.

"Ah-well it's very nice to meet you, Anon!" The old woman greeted the stunned boy who was still getting zero answers. "I'm happy that my granddaughter is making friends!"

"Aha…sure." Mio muttered, clearly as uncomfortable as Anon. "Uhm, as a matter of fact, we're kinda wrapping up, so…"

"Oh well, that's a shame. I was hoping you two could stay for dinner." The old woman said, slightly disappointed.

Sayori took one look at her watch and her eyes grew wide. "Right! Uhm, maybe next time, Granny Arakida! Anon and I need to be back for dinner as well!" the flustered girl began packing her homework up quickly, and a wordless Anon decided against saying anything.

"Oh, you're always welcome, Sayori dear. And Anon, you're welcome to come over ANYtime!"

"Erm, thank you. I'll uhh…see what I can do…"

Before long, the childhood friends had packed up and were ready to leave.

"Anon; you go on out first; I need to talk to Mio for a while." Sayori informed the boy as she slung her bag over her shoulder.

"Sure. I can wait."

"Great."

As Anon walked out of Mio's apartment, he could hear the two girls whispering about something, but decided against eavesdropping on his childhood friend. Instead, he simply walked over to closest parapet and peered over the edge as he waited for Sayori.

"Psst! I'm done!" Sayori said as she walked out of the doorway.

"So…You wanna tell me what's going on?" Anon asked, staring straight ahead.

"What do you mean?" Sayori raised an eyebrow innocently.

"Sigh...I'm talking about Mio's grandmother. The first time Mio introduced us to her it seemed like you already knew her, then all of a sudden she seemed like she already knew you. Is there something you're not telling me? And why the sudden rush to leave?"

Sayori stared at Anon for a few seconds before letting out a soft giggle. "Ehehe! Oh, you're so funny, Anon! We need to leave because it's getting late, silly! Now come on; let's go before our moms start getting worried."

Anon squinted at Sayori but ultimately gave up. "…Hmm, alright then; let's go."

With that, Anon pressed the button for the lift.

…

"Welp-I better get going first; Dad's out late today so I gotta get dinner. Yuri, you coming?" Natsuki asked as she headed towards the clubroom door; the session over for the day.

"Umm, actually I was thinking of walking with Hanako...I-err…I think it would be better if I-"

"It's alright Yuri-I get it. You're doing what a buddy should be doing. I'll see you guys tomorrow." Natsuki cut Yuri off before she could explain any further.

"A-Ah…See you, Natsuki." Yuri smiled warmly.

"Bye Natsuki! Have a safe trip home!" Monika called out from the desk as the petite girl brisk-walked out of the clubroom.

"Hmm…Miso Kitchen? Eh I don't have time; sorry Dad…" Natsuki mumbled to herself as she quickly walked towards the staircase, checking her watch. "Maybe Friday."

As Natsuki headed down the stairs, a loud commotion suddenly erupted from a third level classroom nearby.

"FIRE! THERE'S A FIRE BY THE LAKESIDE!" a male voice echoed throughout the stairwell.

"QUICK! CALL THE FIRE BRIGADE!" another male voice boomed from around the corner.

"Jesus…" Natsuki muttered in disgust. "The frick kinda role-play is going on in there?"

Out of curiosity, Natsuki decided to take a quick detour by the classroom. Upon closer inspection, she quickly understood why there was noise in the first place.

"Frikin' Drama Club…at least whoever's in charge was nice enough to have them located far away enough to not be a nuisance…"

"THE FIRE BRIGADE IS HERE! Oh officers…you're here to save the day!" a female voice shattered Natsuki's eardrums and possibly the windows of the classroom.

"Wow, you're a natural."

"Are you classically trained?"

Natsuki rolled her eyes at the shower of praises. "I'm assuming she's like the only girl in there." She scoffed as she tip-toed and peered into the clubroom. Sure enough, it was also filled with guys and the one girl was in the middle of the whole mess.

"Ahem-well, I'm not really that good guys…I mean; you guys are the ones with the constant silver medals seven years in a row, so…"

"Well, with your help, I think we can end that streak with our first gold, don't you think?"

"Hehe…I err…I don't know. Besides, it's getting kinda late, right? Doesn't club end at around five forty-five?"

"Err-Well, not really-It's more of, well…" One of the boys struggled to complete his sentence while another finished it for him.

"-We don't have to be on schedule: We can end any time we want, as long as we don't need to be chased by the security uncle."

"Ah…That's all well and good, but like-I really need to get going. Hey-Thanks for bringing me here, Zeke." The girl demanded as she forced her way out of the moshpit.

Her flaming red hair caught Natsuki's eye instantly.

"No fucking way…" Natsuki muttered under her breath as the girl collected her belongings and headed for the front door. Like Hanako, she was wearing the standard Yamaku outfit; white blouse and olive green skirt. She also had a thick pair of brown spectacles.

Natsuki turned around as the door swung open and the red-haired girl rushed out, nearly colliding into her.

"Oh! I'm so sorry; I didn't-"

As soon as she laid eyes on Natsuki, all words dried up from her mouth and she simply stared wide-eyed at the pink-haired girl.

Natsuki was equally shocked, her mouth hanging open wider and wider.

"A-A-A…"

Natsuki could barely speak.

"No fucking way…" the red-haired girl spoke up first. "N-Natsuki?"

Natsuki could feel her hands trembling and her lip quivering. Somehow, against all odds, she managed to get one word out of her mouth.

"A-A-Amy?"

…

**End of Chapter Two**


	19. Season Two - Chapter 3: Life

"Alright class! Guess what time it is?"

A middle-aged woman in a light pink blouse cheerily addressed the twenty or so children staring from the floor in front of her.

"LUNCH TIME!" the children screamed in unison as the teacher covered her ears. "Ahaha-okay, okay…you're gonna give your poor Mrs. Minuki a headache here!"

Mrs. Minuki walked over to the classroom door. There were stickers and a large rainbow painted onto it, as well as twenty small handprints all over it, plus a bigger one at the top.

"What do we do before we go for lunch?" the teacher asked the class.

"Form a line…" the grumbled, clearly not happy with the rule, but complied regardless.

All, except one.

"Natsuki?" Mrs. Minuki craned her neck over the swarm of children to get a good look at the pink-haired girl, all the way in the corner, reading a book. "Natsuki? It's lunch time. You can read your book during lunch!"

Natsuki looked up from her book, clearly not interested. "Eh-I'm not hungry." She casually replied.

"Natsuki…" Mrs. Minuki continued; her tone slightly sterner. "I know that book is very interesting, but I'm going to need you to line up, okay?"

The rebellious girl glanced over at the line of children, hungrily awaiting their meal.

"Hmm…okay!" she smiled before standing up and dusting her frilly blue skirt. "I'll form the line!"

"Very good! Good girl!" Mrs. Minuki praised as Natsuki skipped to the back of the line. "Alright! Let's go for lunch!"

"YAY!" the kids cheered as their teacher opened the classroom door to a bright and sunny afternoon. Outside was a semi-large field and a playground right smack in the middle of it. A tall green fence surrounded the whole thing and a sandpit surrounded the playground. It wasn't long until some of the kids could see their parents waiting by the gate with the old security guard.

Natsuki walked through the chorus of children calling for their parents and to a bench by the side of the playground. As her classmates continued freaking out, she simply sat down and resumed reading her book.

"Hey Natsuki! Why are you all the way back here?" a voice came from in front of the occupied girl.

"Eh? Oh…Hi Amy. I'm just reading this book; I really like it." Natsuki explained to Amy.

"Really? You're not hungry?" the red-haired girl asked.

"Mm…it's okay. My Mommy and Daddy usually come not early."

"I see. My Mommy and Daddy are usually not early too. Oh well; I can read my book now too!" Amy giggled before pulling out a book of her own.

"Pfft! That's not a book! It's all pictures and no words!" Natsuki chortled upon seeing the colourful illustrations on Amy's "book".

"Yes it is! It's a new type of book; a Manga! It's a book that has characters talking to each other like a TV show!" Amy explained defensively. "This one is my favourite!"

Natsuki stared inquisitively at the book Amy was holding. "It sure looks good…Can I read it?"

Amy thought to herself for a moment. "Hmm…I'm already reading this one though. How about I give you this one!" the girl pulled out another volume of Manga from her bag.

"_One Piece" _read the title.

"Hahaha! This man looks funny!" Natsuki laughed, pointing at the man smacked in the middle of the cover with a straw hat. His mouth was wide open and he had a manic expression in his eyes.

"Ahahahaha! That's Monkey D Luffy! He's the hero!" Amy giggled at Natsuki's amused reaction.

"But he doesn't look like a Monkey…" Natsuki said.

"Natsuki you silly! Monkey's his name!"

"But it's a stupid name! Monkey is an animal, Amy!"

"It can be a name for a person too!" Amy exclaimed in frustration. "Anyway, do you wanna read it?"

"Mm-Sure!" Natsuki eagerly accepted Amy's offer before sliding her own book back into her bag.

"Oh-My Mommy and Daddy are here! I'll be back!" Amy said as she spotted her parents approaching the green fence.

"Ok, bye!" Natsuki waved to the red-haired girl before returning her gaze to the Manga sitting on her lap. "Monkey D Luffy…So stupid!"

Before Natsuki could open the Manga, she heard a familiar voice calling for her.

"Natsuki? Natsuki!"

"Mommy!" Natsuki grabbed her bag and Amy's Manga and bolted towards the green fence. "Mommy!"

"Oh hello my little parfait girl; what did Mrs. Minuki teach you today?" Natsune gave her daughter a wide smile before embracing her tightly.

"Maths! She taught us how to count to thirty!"

"Thirty huh? I always thought ten was the biggest number." Natsune joked.

"No, Mom! Now it's thirty! Thirty's the biggest number!"

"Oh, your father might disagree, right Shinzo?" Natsune turned around as Shinzo jogged over to the playschool from the parking lot.

"How's my little baby girl doing?" the bespectacled man asked as Natsuki ran into his arms.

"Daddy, daddy! Mommy says ten is the biggest number, but my teacher says it's thirty! Is she lying?"

Shinzo gave Natsune a bemused look before turning back to his daughter. "Oh Natsuki, your Mommy is the one who's lying."

"Hey!" Natsune gave her husband a playful jab.

"Hahaha-Ow! Jesus! Natsuki, help! Your old father is getting assaulted!" Shinzo cried for help as he released Natsuki from his arms.

"Hey! Stop it, Mom!" Natsuki shouted before hitting Natsune's shin lightly.

"Ohoho-okay Natsuki, that's enough. Eh? What's this you're holding here?" Natsune took the Manga from Natsuki's small hands. "What happened to the book I gave you?"

"Oh-It's in my bag. Amy gave that to me!"

"She did, huh? Did you say thank you?" Natsune asked, still examining the Manga.

"Umm…" Natsuki put her index fingers together.

"Natsuki…What do you say when people give you something out of generosity?" The woman asked sternly.

"Thank you…" Natsuki pouted.

"Remember to thank Amy later, okay? Dear, what do you think? I spent hours finding that book…" Natsune whispered into Shinzo's ear.

Shinzo looked back at his daughter who was smiling wider than ever before.

"Heh. I say that if she's happy, we should be happy. Besides, it's not like she's gonna give up reading books altogether…We just have to…remind her, is all."

Natsune thought to herself for a few seconds.

"Yeah, you're right. Alright then, Natsuki; I brought some pasta for you!" The woman took out a small pink Tupperware from her carry bag and handed it over to the excited girl.

"YAY! NOODLES!" she squeaked ecstatically.

"Alright now kiddo, go join your friends for lunch!" Shinzo said.

"Okay…bye Mommy! Bye Daddy!" Natsuki waved goodbye to her parents before skipping away to the bench where Amy was already seated.

"Hi Amy!"

"Oh. Hi again Natsuki. What are you eating?"

"Noodles!" Natsuki exclaimed as she tore off the lid of her Tupperware. Freshly cooked pasta and sauce filled the walls of the small plastic box and a few bits of meat and whatnot were scattered all over, along with grated cheese.

"Mmm! Smells good!" Amy noted as she mouthed down her rice ball.

"Yay! And, thank you. My Mommy says I have to thank you for the Manga."

"Eh? Oh. Right. Well, you're welcome!"

The two girls smiled at each other before resuming their hearty lunches, as the parents slowly started making their leave.

"I-I'm kinda worried, dear…she only seems to have her one friend…" Natsune told Shinzo as they watched the two girls hungrily wolfing down their meals.

"You know, you shouldn't really worry about her. She seems really happy in this playschool; scenery's nice, everyone's friendly and I have talked to Amy a few times when I picked our daughter up and she seems like a really great friend for her! And she's not getting bullied or teased by the other kids; what more can you ask for?" Shinzo commented, smiling in satisfaction at his daughter.

Natsune glanced back over to Natsuki and her red-headed friend before smiling as well. "Oh, you're right dear…I shouldn't worry so much."

"She's living the life…We can't ask for too much."

"Yeah…You're right…"

The husband and wife continued watching their daughter eat her lunch for a few more seconds before Shinzo finally snapped out of their trance.

"We should probably go-we don't want a repeat of the first day now do we?"

"Yeah you're right. I love you." Natsune replied, giving her husband a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Heh heh heh…sniff…" Shinzo grinned. "I love you too."

…

"Alright sweetie. We're here."

Yuri slowly opened her eyes and glanced around her. "Sniff-o-oh…ugh…" The view of the school slowly flooding her vision as her mother's car pulled up to the foyer.

"Have a good day at school, Yuri!" Yuna said before giving her daughter a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks Mom. Bye Yuki!" Yuri waved to her little sister as she gingerly got out of the car.

"Bye big sis! Go show those fools what you're made of!" The spunky little girl gave her elder sister an encouraging thumbs up. "And say hi to Dean for me!"

Yuri felt her entire body tense up.

"U-Umm…sure…will do." The girl muttered softly before closing the car door.

As Yuna's car slowly pulled out of the school's driveway, Yuri could see the students of Yamaku High already starting to gather, their partners waiting for further instruction in front of them.

"Students of Yamaku High! Welcome back!" Keiji's loud and clear voice echoed around the foyer. "It is day two of your fourteen day program and I'm hoping all of you are already settling in. I'm sure your partners have been nice and patient with all of you, so without any further delay, go find your partners and we can start the day on a high note!"

As the student body president stepped down from the bench, the students slowly started to walk towards their partners. Some looked excited to see their partners again, but most of them were unsurprisingly reluctant to.

Yuri noticed an energetic Tak bouncing up to the president. "Hey bro! You ready?"

"Oh you betcha. Come on; let's go!"

"At least one other pair's doing fine…" Yuri said to herself before heading into the crowd to find her own partner. "Hanako? Hanako?"

Sure enough, the quiet girl was seated at the same spot as yesterday, forehead deep in _Life of Pi_.

"Hi Hanako! Are you ready to go to class?" Yuri asked gently as she approached the girl.

"H-Huh?!" Hanako anxiously glanced around, but quickly loosened up upon seeing Yuri's warm and friendly face. "O-Oh…I-It's just you, Yuri…U-Um…Sure. L-Let's go…"

"Great!" Yuri smiled. "Our first period is-"

"Hanako?! Hanako Ikezawa?!"

Yuri and Hanako jumped at the sound of a piercing screech coming from behind them. As quickly as she laid eyes on whoever was screaming her name, Hanako hid behind her book. Yuri recognised the person as Hanako's actual partner, though she was looking less confused and more enraged than yesterday.

"Excuse me! Are you Hanako Ikezawa? It IS you!" The girl rudely brushed past Yuri and stormed right up to the trembling girl. Her friend walked up to the scene behind her. "I knew I wasn't crazy when I couldn't find my partner yesterday; you were hiding behind that stupid book all day long! And Keiji told me there were no deaf students coming to our school, so why didn't you respond?!"

"Erm, s-sorry…I think there might be some sort of mista-"

"HEY!" Before Yuri could intervene, the girl's friend barked into her ear. "You stay out of this, thief! Who do you think you are; stealing my friend's partner like that?!"

Yuri could feel her blood boiling as Hanako cowered further and further into the bench as some students started to gather.

"Now listen here!" The other girl shouted in Hanako's face. "I almost didn't get my points for yesterday, but thankfully Emi here was a good enough sweet talker to talk Keiji into closing one eye, so you BETTER stick next to me for the rest of the thirteen days, you hear me?! Now let's go; we're gonna be late for History!"

As the girl grabbed Hanako's hand, Yuri once again tried to intervene.

"I'm sorry, but like I said-"

"Shut up! You nearly cost me my points you dumbass!" the girl spat, still struggling to pry Hanako from the bench. "Move it two-face!"

"Excuse me, but you don't have to right to speak to her like that!" Yuri shouted back, not willing to back down.

"Girl, quiet; you're not involved." Emi said to Yuri as her friend finally pulled a quivering Hanako away from the bench, her book falling onto the floor.

"Woah, woah, woah! Mary, Emi, what on Earth is going on here?" Keiji boomed as he walked back over to the foyer, Tak not far behind him. "Mary, let the girl go, please."

Mary stared at her president for a second before turning back to Hanako and Emi before finally letting go of her partner's hand in a huff.

"Thank you. Now, can someone explain why there's so much shouting this early a morning? On such a beautiful Tuesday of all days?"

"Keiji, it's all just a misunderstanding; see my partner here got lost on her first day-"

"I'm sorry." Yuri raised her voice, causing Mary to shut her mouth in shock. "But she is MY partner. The reason why she never responded to you is because she is MY partner. Not YOUR'S, MINE."

"Bitch, I don't even know your goddamn name! Are for the last time, just get the fuck out." Mary retorted.

Yuri glared at Mary before turning back to the student body president. "Keiji…look at this outrageous behaviour! Is this the kind of example you want to set? Is this the kind of attitude you want to promote? She was LITERALLY pulling her arm off and shouting at her! She doesn't even care about her partner! Are you going to let this happen?!"

Keiji awkwardly turned to look at Tak, then back to Yuri and the scene. "Look…sigh…I understand, I do; it's just…it wouldn't be fair to her…I mean, she registered for this buddy program and to not give her the points because someone else is looking after her partner…that's just…And you didn't register for it anyway, so…I'm sorry I can't do anything…"

Yuri could barely believe her ears as Mary proudly sneered at her before snatching Hanako away. "That's right. Now come on Emi, let's get out of here."

The two girls promptly escorted themselves and Hanako out of the scene before anything else could go wrong.

"Phew. Glad that could be sorted…" Keiji sighed before making his leave as well, Tak following behind him.

"Unbelievable! The nerve of those two girls! I-I have to do something…Ah-I should probably get to class first…"

Yuri took a deep breath before heading towards her class.

…

"I still can't believe you're right here, like, in front of me."

"What? Yesterday wasn't enough for you?"

"Yesterday I could barely process what was going on…I mean, holy shit; you're like…here!"

Natsuki's mouth hung ajar as she stared at the red-headed girl sitting in front of her.

"Yep. I'm here alright. I almost wasn't too; some girl didn't like being around some other girl and she clawed her way to another high school and-poof-I'm here now." Amy explained.

"I still can't believe it. When did you say you were diagnosed with it again?"

"Twelve-Like right after Dad passed."

"Again, I am so, SO sorry that I couldn't be there. If I had known I-"

"-And like I said, it's totally cool."

"But you were there for me when Mom…I just feel like I owe you one, you know?" Natsuki replied.

"Nonsense!" Amy exclaimed. "You don't need to feel that way! Your Dad was moving, I get it."

Natsuki bit her lip.

"Yeah, I guess…So anyway, how's Glasses? I assume spiders don't live that long, so…"

"Oh yeah, he's long gone. Mom made me throw away his cage three months after he died when it started to smell." Amy giggled.

"Ack! Oh sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"No, it's fine. And I really have gotten better, trust me."

Natsuki smiled. "I didn't know what OCD was back when we were in pre-school, so I'm also sorry for all the times I ruined your block stash."

"HAHAHA! Oh I remember those damn blocks. Eugh-gives me chills every time I think about them." Amy laughed as memories flooded her head. "And remember that time I jerked so hard I got neck cramps for two days and I couldn't look to the right?"

"HAHAHAHAHA! And I had to slowly turn your head so it wouldn't get jammed or whatever!" Natsuki laughed as well.

"And that time I brought my first spider into the playroom?"

"How could I forget; that thing was freaky!" Natsuki shivered as the thought of eight long black legs came into her mind.

"HAHAHA-mm." Amy suddenly jerked and blinked three times. "Anyway, good times."

"Yep. Good times."

The two girls continued eating their rice in relative silence.

"So how's Yamaku? You know, I never heard of such a school until Yuri brought one of yours over to our Literature Club." Natsuki asked.

"Literature Club? There's such a thing? And Yamaku's fine enough as it is; there's the occasional toxic individual, but everyone there is generally nice." Amy answered.

"That was everyone's first reaction to our club on festival day, hehehe…Maybe you should come check It out after school." Natsuki suggested.

"Nah, I'm not really into poetry."

"Seems like you were really into drama there yesterday." Natsuki noted, smirking.

"Oh come on-That was like a onetime thing! The guys there were super creepy anyway…" Amy exclaimed defensively. "I'm never going back there."

"That makes two of us. And you're sure you don't want to stop by? We have free tea."

Amy stared at Natsuki as she contemplated her options. "mm-I suppose I have nothing better to do…just not today though, I have something on. And you said you have one of us over there currently?"

"Yeah, I have something on in the afternoon as well. And to answer your other question, yep: Hanako. I don't really know her that well, but she seems really nice."

"Oh, of course it would be her, who else could it be." Amy rolled her eyes.

"Why, you know her?"

"Yes, but as you said, not that well. I see her reading books everyday when I come to school…most people just don't bother her; including me."

"I see…" Natsuki muttered. "You ever try talking to her, engage in conversation?"

"Erm, well there was this one time I invited her to a level hangout or something, but she just shook her head and scurried away." Amy recalled. "She doesn't talk very much and she only ever hangs out with this blind girl. The fact that you convinced her to join your club means you guys are doing something right."

"Oh I'm still not sure if she's actually joining, but yeah-That one is all on Yuri; she did a good job recruiting her." Natsuki explained.

"Welp, I'm glad she found at least one friend in this new school." Amy sighed.

"Eh? Why's that? Who's your partner?"

Amy gave Natsuki a sad glance. "Some girl with brown hair called Akane."

"Oh-She's the captain of our Floorball team." Natsuki mentioned. "Why: She ignored you or something?"

"It's not really that…It's just…she just thinks I'm weird is all-And I admit I am a little weird, but…like…you signed up for it and everything." Amy ranted. "I thought student leaders are supposed to be patient and understanding."

"Oh I'm sure they are at YOUR school…" Natsuki scoffed. "I'm pretty sure Yuri wasn't even supposed to be Hanako's partner-Oh here she is right now! Hey Yuri!"

Natsuki gave an approaching Yuri and wide and toothy smile.

"Hi Natsuki…Erm, err…"

"Yuri, this is Amy; my childhood friend. Amy, Yuri."

"Hi! Nice to meet you, Yuri!" Amy stuck out her hand, which Yuri shook gingerly. "Oh-You're…Amy?"

"That's correct! And Natsuki told me that Hanako's in your Literature Club, right?"

Yuri glanced over at Natsuki for a split second before answering. "W-Well…It's not MY club, and she's not really a permanent member, but yes…she's there…"

"Cool." Amy smiled.

"Speaking of…" Natsuki spoke up. "…where is your partner?"

Yuri's face fell pretty quickly.

Natsuki raised an eyebrow before turning towards Amy and then back to Yuri. "What I say?"

…

…

…

"What do you mean "stolen"?"

Yuri shook her head sadly as Monika and Tiffany listened. "I mean, like; LITERALLY stolen. By two girls who should be banned from doing volunteer work for the rest of their lives! She called her "Two-Face"! Frikin "Two Face"!"

"Okay Yuri, take a deep breath…Good. Now: Tell me who these girls are." Monika calmed the purple-haired girl down.

"Mary and Emi…I never seen them around before."

"That's because they're art students…and they're like…the most stereotypic arts students you'll ever see." Monika explained.

"Tell me about it…" Yuri muttered. "They were so rude to her! I can't just-let them snatch her away and treat her poorly, I just can't!"

"And they won't, Yuri; trust me! I'll…I'll inform Keiji about the situation." Monika reassured the troubled girl.

"That's what I did! And he simply told me he couldn't reassign partners because, A: I never registered for the program, and B: SHE DID."

Monika rubbed her temples as she slowly processed what Yuri was telling her. "So basically: If he gives you her points for taking care and guiding Hanako, it wouldn't be fair?"

"Yes! The NERVE of him! She isn't even remotely QUALIFIED to be an orienteer!" Yuri exclaimed, her hands leaping to her chest passionately.

"Alright, we get it Yuri; calm down!" Monika gasped. "I'm proud that you're so…eagerly standing up for your new friend, but we should all just take a deep breath and figure this out."

"Wait." Tiffany spoke up. "So what you're saying is…She volunteered so she needs the points?"

"Uhm…Yes..?" Yuri replied.

"And Monika: What position did you say you were in the council again?"

"Secretary. Why do you ask?"

"Secretary…That's…Gotta be at least something, right?" Tiffany raised an eyebrow.

"If you're in the Ex-Co, you pretty much have all the power, regardless of whether you have a position or not, so yes." Monika explained.

Tiffany smiled slyly at both girls.

"Ahaha! What's with that devious grin, Tiff?" Monika chortled.

"I got an idea…that just might work. And Monika: It's gonna have to be you, girl."

Monika and Yuri stared at Tiffany curiously as the sophomore slowly began explaining her plan.

…

"I don't believe I've ever told you this; but I've been to the Miso Kitchen before."

"Wait, really?"

Natsuki and Anon strolled down the quiet afternoon street as they made their way to Sayori's house. The cute little restaurant caught Natsuki's eyes as they passed by its bright signs and menus.

"Yeah-It was like…I don't know two-three months ago? I bought dinner for my Dad and some of that raspberry parfait-or strawberry, I can't remember." Natsuki recalled.

"How was it? I never was that much a fan of parfait-Too much crunch and the granola always gets stuck in my teeth." Anon chuckled.

"That's probably because you don't know how to eat it, dummy…And yeah, it was pretty decent. I had…what was it; set Bs?" Natsuki racked her brain as she tried remembering her dinner.

"Yeah it was. It's all I ever order. Sayori too." Anon replied.

"Oh. Then set B then."

The two continued walking down the street until Anon's pale white house came into view.

"Hey, is it okay if we stop by my place first? I got some stuff I have to hand over to Sayori." Anon asked Natsuki as they walked up to the boy's gate.

"Sure. Is your Mom home?"

"Yep. She's usually working late, but this week her boss decided to let her off early. I'm hoping it's because she's working hard and not…the other thing…" Anon shudder at the thought.

"Nah, what's with all this negativity? Come on; let's go inside already." Natsuki rolled her eyes before shoving the boy into his own house.

"…Sigh…Alright, alright…"

Anon dug around his pockets for his house keys, but the door opened for him anyway.

"I saw you from my window." Lisa greeted her son as the door opened.

"Hi Mom. How was work?"

"Oh you know; tiring as always; my boss wanted all his meetings rescheduled and I had to go look after the new guys….Anyway, hi!" Lisa turned her attention to the pink-haired girl. "I don't believe we've met before. I'm Anon's mother."

"Erm, hi Mrs. Kazuma…I'm…err…Anon's friend Natsuki."

"Nice to meet you, Natsuki!" Lisa smiled warmly. "Please, come on in. Can I get you anything to drink while Anon collects his items?"

"Oh-That won't be necessary, thank you. Natsuki, huh? I believe you're the one that Anon helped with cupcakes."

"That's me." Natsuki confirmed sheepishly.

"Ah…You're the Manga-lover. No wonder you two can get along; my son and even Sayori are obsessed with Anime."

"Hehehe…I guess…" Natsuki laughed awkwardly as Anon quickly retreated to his room.

"So…" Lisa faced Natsuki. "…You're in the…Literature Club, right? Anon told me all about how you lent him your Manga to read and that you guys write poems?"

"That's…err…that's correct."

"I told him I was never good at poetry. How did you convince him to stay? He told me he was never big on the idea to begin with."

"I don't really know." Natsuki shrugged. "That lies more on Sayori to be honest; all I did was share my writing style with him, but Sayori was to one who convinced him to even go to the club."

"You also trained my son on baking and cooking, which I have to say, is pretty impressive. He can't even make sandwiches correctly." Lisa smirked.

"Hehehe! Well, he was pretty bad when he started out, but I whipped him into shape. I wasn't gonna let him burn down your kitchen; not on my watch." Natsuki giggled, recalling how careless and shaky Anon was when she came over.

"Heh heh heh…and for that, I am eternally grateful." Lisa laughed as well. "You're more than welcome to come over to our house Maybe you can continue training my son so that he can help me cook dinner."

Natsuki grinned widely. "That doesn't sound too bad, but it's gonna cost him."

"Oh I'll make sure he doesn't get away with free training. He's been getting away with me tidying his room for him every since he was born; I'm not making the same mistake again."

"HAHAHA! Maybe we can team up and charge him 500 yen for our services!"

"Oh, I don't think so." Anon grumbled as he walked down the stairs carrying a plastic bag. "What-I leave for 2 minutes and all of a sudden you two are teaming up against me?"

"Hey: It was your friend's idea, and frankly, it's time for you to start doing your own chores." Lisa raised an eyebrow.

"You know what, whatever Mom, alright? C'mon Natsuki, let's go already."

"Fine, fine…" Natsuki sang as the duo headed towards the door.

"I'll be back before dinner, Mom. And YOU'RE cooking." Anon stated.

"I'll cook, but if you wanna eat, it's 500 yen!" Lisa called out as her son disappeared out the front door.

"For crying out loud…" Anon groaned as he locked the door.

"I like her." Natsuki stated smugly.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, let's go."

The two quickly made their way across the street.

"Wait; you're not gonna knock?" Natsuki asked as Anon simply opened the door.

"Sayori's like family; she doesn't knock when she comes over, I don't know when I come over. It's…We've just gotten used to it; like it's a part of our lives now." Anon explained. "Hi Mrs. Asoka, I'm here again."

"Hello again Anon." Midori welcomed the boy as he stepped into the house. "And you must be Natsuki; Sayori told me you were coming along as well."

"Yep, that's me. Hi Mrs. Asoka." Natsuki greeted the woman politely before turning to Anon. "Sensing some déjà-vu here…"

"Oh believe me; they are way more different than you think…" Anon whispered back, out of Midori's earshot.

"Sayori's upstairs again; did you bring…her err…well…"

"I did, I did. Sayori's gonna be really happy when she sees it." Anon noted.

"Well, I'm really happy that you're doing this for her. And it's very nice to meet you, Natsuki. Sayori really has amazing friends."

Natsuki's face grew red.

"Ahem-Well, I…I guess she does, huh?"

"Oh, you praise me too much, Mrs. Asoka. Maybe Mom can take a page out of your book." Anon joked.

"Oh, give Lisa a break for once, young man." Midori shook her head.

"Heh heh heh! See you later!" Anon waved cheekily before disappearing up the stairs with Natsuki. "Sayori? We're here!"

"Hi Anon-GASP-NATSUKI! YOU CAME!" Sayori rushed into Natsuki and wrapped her arms around the girl.

"ACK! JESUS I GET IT, I GET IT!" Natsuki gasped for air as he struggled to break free of Sayori's duct tape hug. "I came, I came, you don't have to make it seem like I won the lottery or something…jeez…"

"Ehehe!" Sayori giggled as she finally let the choking girl go. "I'm so happy to see you again!"

"It's not like you were away on holiday for five years…We literally saw each other not that long ago!"

"But it's still so great to see you! Aren't you glad to see me?" Sayori asked innocently, batting her eyelids.

Natsuki stared at Sayori. "…Sigh…I am…How are you holding up-Is schoolwork okay? How's Anon as a tutor? He doing a good job?"

"Yep!" Sayori beamed. "He's the best tutor I could ever ask for! He doesn't take the same subjects as me but he helps out a lot!"

"Hmmm….guess he's finally good at something, huh?" Natsuki scoffed, earning an eye roll from the boy. "What about Bio? Manageable? Doable?"

"Ehehehe…I think I need more time to absorb everything…" Sayori admitted.

"Really? Cos midterms are in a month's time-"

"I know, I know…It's just…Genetics…It takes a long time for me to understand the question…But don't worry, okay?"

"…Sigh…To be fair, I'm not real good with Genetics either; hell-Yuri took some time to complete her first assignment as well! And from what I heard, your best friend flunked the pop quiz; I don't know; I don't really talk to her that much."

"She did huh?" Sayori sighed. "She didn't tell me when we were at her house yesterday…"

"Sayori, come on." Anon spoke up after sensing Sayori's slightly hurt tone. "Who wants to tell the world they did badly for a test? Openly, I mean. You practically have to dig my test papers out of my cupboard to see how shitty I did."

"Huh?" Sayori gave Anon a puzzled look. "N-No…It's…It's not that…I don't share my results with her either unless it's like…we both know how badly we did…No, it's…never mind…Ahem-Well, anyway, did you bring it Anon?"

"Yep: Right in here." Anon smiled as he presented his plastic bag to Sayori.

"YAY!"

"It better be some gift if you're both gonna gas this up this much…" Natsuki said sceptically as Sayori reached into the plastic bag, pulling out a-

"Seriously?" Natsuki squinted.

"Now the trifecta can be complete!" Sayori cheered as she held up a stuffed-tiger.

"A tiger? A frikin tiger?!" Natsuki exclaimed in bewilderment.

"Now Mr. Cow and Mr. Bird can have one more friend!" Sayori giggled as she placed Anon's tiger right beside her cow.

"Natsuki-err…She actually-"

"Dr. Henry told me companionship is a good reliever of stress!" Sayori cut Anon off. "And since Mom hates anything with fur and moves, Anon gave me his stuffed tiger!"

"Did he now?" Natsuki gave Anon a sly look. "That's really sweet of him to do."

"Heh…well…" Anon rubbed the back of his neck. "Sayori told me her stuffed cow and bird have been around so long they have too much sentimental value to be used as a companion, and I don't really have much use for my tiger either so…it's hers."

"THANK YOU SO MUCH!" Sayori squealed as she gave Anon a tight hug.

"Not sure it's me you're supposed to be hugging…" Anon groaned.

"Ehehe…right…" Sayori laughed.

"Okay. Now that that's settled, Sayori, I hate to do this, but Monika handed me a whole stack of practical worksheets for you to do…Organic…Chemistry-yep: Here it is. Now, I wouldn't know too much about this since my class is still a topic behind and Miss. Soong is too focused on telling stories about her dating life, but Monika slipped in some notes she jotted down." Natsuki took out a small pink booklet and handed it over to the bubbly girl.

"Awww, that's so sweet of her! Monika's the best, isn't she?"

"Welp-She way better than the cretins in my Chemistry class, that's for sure." Natsuki scoffed. "Anyway, you better get to work on those fast; Monika said the deadline for everyone is by the end of the week, aka the start of next week for you."

"Yeah I'll get right to it." Sayori declared, grabbing her Chemistry notes from her drawer.

"I guess I should do Chem stuff as well then." Natsuki decided. "What about you?"

"I'm already swamped with Jap, so…you girls do your thing and I'll be sitting by the desk." Anon said.

"Okay!" Sayori grinned as she and Natsuki got started on their homework, while Anon got started on his.

…

…

…

"Ugh…I need a break." Anon groaned as he stood up from Sayori's chair and stretched. "I'll go out and take a breather."

"Sure; however long you need." Natsuki said as Anon strolled out of Sayori's room. As she resumed her work, she soon felt a pair of sky blue eyes on her. "Err…" Natsuki turned to see Sayori smiling sweetly at her. "Yes?"

"The two of you are just sooo cute!" Sayori squealed, causing Natsuki's face to go completely red.

"Egggh! Must you always bring this up?!" Natsuki seethed, her face growing redder by the second.

"Ehehe! I was just teasing…" Sayori mumbled. "But really though, you are perfect for each other."

Natsuki's face softened; replaced by something slightly more curious. "Oh? How do you mean?"

"I mean; you're both easily flustered; you both love Manga and you both always manage to turn bickering into blushing! He gets really nervous when talking about you, you know?" Sayori smiled brightly as she went on about her childhood friend. "And I've been telling you just how much of a great guy he is since day one!"

"…" Natsuki raised an eyebrow and smirked. "…sigh…You gonna tell me you told me so or what?"

"Ehehe! Told ya' so!" Sayori giggled as Natsuki placed her face in her palm.

"Alright you win…He's a pretty cool guy…And I haven't really told him that; YOU are the only person on this planet who's heard this so far…" Natsuki stated. "..And if I'm being honest, I'm not really sure when I should tell him that…"

"Eh?" Sayori's expression morphed into confusion and then ecstasy. "OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD! YOU'RE GONNA TELL HIM THAT YOU LOVE HIM?! EEEEEEEEEEEE!" Sayori squealed uncontrollably as a frantic Natsuki tried in vain to calm her down.

"S-Sayori! Shush! Sh-Shush damnit!"

"IT'S LITERALLY THE CUTEST THING I'VE EVER SEEN!"

"Holy Christ-OKAY. It's not like we're ready yet or anything! I don't even think he knows what stage our relationship is at; we like barely do any love talk at all!" Natsuki huffed.

"Well, you should!"

"Are you crazy?! That's the last thing the both of us need right now; especially with the exams coming up…and…"

Natsuki suddenly stopped talking and looked away.

"Eh? And what?" Sayori stared at her pink-haired friend inquisitively.

"…Sayori…You're my friend…and it's…well…after everything that happened…I feel kinda guilty for...you know…"

"Natsuki…" Sayori placed her hand on Natsuki's knee. "You don't have to feel guilty for anything…It's fine; it really is! I'm SUPER happy for the both of you, okay? You don't have to keep acting so awkward because of me you know? I want the both of you to be happy!"

Natsuki stared deeply into Sayori's eyes. "…Sigh…We…We both feel that way…And I just…It's just gonna be weird, you know what I'm saying? It's not just that, we don't want to make the club feel uncomfortable either…You recruited Anon to the club so he could finally make some friends for once…I don't want to be the obstacle that stands in the way…and that includes you. I don't want to third-wheel anyone."

"You're not third-wheeling anyone!" Sayori exclaimed. "We don't feel that way at all!"

Natsuki raised an eyebrow. "...You're right…we're over thinking things…If you're okay with it…I guess the both of us…yeah. We're together."

"Ehehe! Any mouth contact yet?"

"Jeez-you HAD to go there STRAIGHT away!" Natsuki huffed.

"Just kidding, just kidding…" Sayori sang. "That's between the two of you only and it's none of my business."

"Good. At least you have the fundamentals down. Alright, enough about YOUR childhood friend; it's time for mine." Natsuki smiled.

"Your childhood friend?"

"Yep. Never told anyone about it until today, but I had a friend from kindergarten called Amy. We lost contact after…after my...ahem-after HER father died and I moved to here, but she's here in our school-for two weeks; she's part of Yamaku."

"Oh? Well…err…What's Yamaku?"

"He seriously didn't tell you about any of it? Wow-okay then…err…How do I explain this in the simplest of terms…Okay-So there's this new attachment program for this other high school…It's for students with disabilities and they're here for two weeks to learn how our school does things and there's this whole deal with their buddies or whatnot-Yuri has one who is somehow more shy than she is, but anyway, my friend Amy turns out to have OCD and she's in that school too. Crazy, right? It's a small world."

"So there are students visiting our school now…and they have…disabilities..?"

"Eh, that's about right, yeah. Yuri's fighting with this other girl who's her partner's actual partner, but she's gone to Monika to resolve the whole thing."

"Oh how I wish I could come back already! I'm starting to miss everyone!"

"Sayori; it's like less than a week now! Be patient; it's not like we're moving to America or anything…though I…kinda wish I did…And speaking of America, there's a new club member as well! She's called Tiffany and she's a sophomore who migrated over from the United States! Pretty cool, huh?"

"A-A new member?" Sayori could barely believe her ears.

"Yep. Didn't even have to convince her or anything: She just waltz right on in like it's opening day of a new strip mall shop."

"N-New…M-M-Member…" Sayori started trembling.

"Err…that's what I said…" Natsuki said, growing concerned over Sayori's washing machine like body. "Sayori?"

"HOLY COW WE DID IT WE DID IT WE DID IT! NATSUKI! WE DID IT!" Sayori screamed at the top of her lungs, nearly sending Natsuki flying off her bed.

"JESUS CHRIST WHAT THE FUCK. Language-sorry, BUT WHY ON EARTH ARE YOU SHOUTING?!"

"BECAUSE WE GOT A NEW MEMBER! WE DID IT!"

"Yep. Surprised me as much as you." Natsuki stated. "I figured there was NO way we'd get any new members after our disastrous festival…Oh but-Monika has plans for the upcoming talent show; maybe you could-"

"Talent show? We're having a talent show?" Sayori exclaimed, completely unfamiliar with the recent happenings.

"Mhm. We figured to wait until your treatment is finished before we do actual brainstorming, but since the both of you are here, why not get some ideas out."

"Wait-Slow down! Back to the new member first; she's American?" Sayori asked, barely containing her disbelief.

"That's right. Tiffany Maxwell. She's a rapper and songwriter so she thought she'd give poetry a go. Well, she's not like an official member yet, but c'mon; you'll obviously say yes, right?"

"Duh. And I'm sure Anon will say yes too!" Sayori smiled knowingly.

"Yeah he will. It's not like he'll ever so no to anything anyway…but from what I heard, she was the only one in her class who was interested in our club and the only reason why she couldn't go was because her friends wouldn't want to go to a "boring club". You'll love to meet her; she's a bit like you: Bubbly, energetic and very good at pissing me off." Natsuki smirked.

"EH! Meanie…Well what about your friend Amy? Did you get her to join?"

"Is stopping by good enough?" Natsuki asked.

"If it raises interest, it's good enough!" Sayori beamed. "I can't even imagine what is going on in Monika's head right now; she must be over the moon! A new member, a talent show performance…Speaking of; what are we gonna do for that?"

"Welp, no better time to come up with ideas than right here. I'll go round up the boy so we can start discussing."

"Oh-I wanna round him up!" Sayori interjected with an idea of her own.

"Um-I don't really see much difference, but sure..?" Natsuki raised a suspicious eyebrow.

"I just want to tell him all the good news beforehand, ehehe!" Sayori squealed. "I'll be back!"

With that, Sayori hopped out of her bed and danced out of her door as Natsuki shook her head tiredly.

…

"Ugh…I need a break." Anon groaned as he stood up from Sayori's chair and stretched. "I'll go out and take a breather."

"Sure; however long you need." Natsuki said as Anon strolled out of Sayori's room.

"Ahh…Does Sayori still have Ribena left over from yesterday?" Anon wondered as he walked downstairs to the kitchen. "Holy crap I need to stretch…" the boy noted as his back started aching as he headed down the stairs. "I'm sure a ten minutes wouldn't hurt…"

Anon walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge door.

"Nice; there's two packets left. I'll bring the last one upstairs for the girls to share…" he noted as he thirstily grabbed the packets and walked over to the living room.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh…" Anon let out tired sigh as he sinked into Sayori's sofa. "Ah what the hell; twenty minutes." The boy giggled to himself as he tore the plastic of the straw and stabbed it into the Ribena packet. "Mm! That's perfect…" Anon gulped down the blackcurrant drink. As he sank further into the sofa and dug out his phone, he heard footsteps approaching from the study.

"Anon? What are you doing down here, why aren't you upstairs?" Midori asked as she walked over.

"Oh, hi Mrs. Asoka…no, I'm just taking a twenty minute break…schoolwork is too tiring now since exams are drawing near."

"Oh, well you do make yourself comfortable, okay?" Midori smiled warmly before turning back around. "Just don't accidentally fall asleep; Sayori would tell me she's taking a five minute break, then it turned into a twenty minute power nap, next thing I knew it's dinnertime and she's still sound asleep."

"Haha…Classic Sayori…" Anon chuckled at the thought of his childhood friend slowly drifting away to dreamland.

"I had to pretty much drag her out of her bed…ehehe…" Midori laughed as well. "Anyway…I better get back; Sayori's been craving seafood curry ever since that commercial came out."

"Mrs. Asoka-wait." Anon called out, casing the woman to stop in her tracks.

"Yes, Anon?"

Anon stared at Midori for a good few seconds before slowly opening his mouth. "I-I…I just want you to know that…I will…sigh…I will always look after your daughter."

Midori's smile slowly faded.

"I know it's been over a month…but I still feel like I owe all of you at least this much…I promise…I will always take care of her…and…I'll make sure she's being happy old Sayori twenty-four seven. You can count on me, Mrs. Asoka." Anon said, his eyes slowly watering.

"Anon…" Midori took a deep breath. "You don't have to do that. I appreciate everything you've done for my daughter; keeping her company, walking her to school, helping her with homework…She has some of the best friends anyone else could hope to have! You shouldn't discredit yourself so much, Anon…I know your mother already told you the same thing, but please don't feel that you need to do this…Sayori's getting the best help and…while she more than enjoys your company, you don't have to exert yourself, okay? We all appreciate your efforts, Anon."

Anon tried his hardest to suppress his tears. "Sniff…hoah…sniff-yeah. I err…I…" The boy took a deep breath a let out a sob filled chuckle. "…heh heh…sniff…thank you, Mrs. Asoka…you have no idea how much that means to me…but I'll still do my best to, you know…"

"I understand…And thank you so much for all you've done for us. Your mother is very lucky to have such a kind, patient young man for a son."

"Oh, Mrs. Asoka…you're making me blush now…heh heh…"

Anon knowingly sipped the last of his Ribena before the sound of a door slamming open came from upstairs.

"Oh-Seems like someone has something to tell me..." Anon joked, as Sayori bolted down the staircase, causing both him and her mother to break out in laughter.

"Eh? Why are the both of you laughing?" Sayori asked, clearly taken aback and confused.

"Heh heh…oh nothing…Anyway, why are you down here? You've come to take a short break as well?" Anon asked the bewildered girl.

"Nono-I'm just here to round you up! Natsuki's orders, ehehe…" Sayori explained.

"Round me up? For what? By the way: I got the last packet of Ribena for the both of you; if you're okay with sharing."

"Certainly!" Sayori smiled. "And we're rounding you up to discuss the Talent Show plans!"

"Oh-that...Well, sure…I don't have much ideas, but I don't mind brainstorming." Anon replied.

"Oh; I'm sure you'll come up with something ingenious and original!" Sayori encouraged.

"Oh I bet…Here; catch." Anon said as he tossed the packet of Ribena into Sayori's hands."

"Yay! Alright; we're going back up Mom!"

"I'll see you two later." Midori smiled as the childhood friends headed back upstairs.

"You know, I'm willing to be that whatever ideas I come up with, they're already mentioned by the club and under consideration." Anon mentioned.

"Oh nonsense!" Sayori rebutted. "You're filled with GREAT ideas! Alright Natsuki, we're back!"

Sayori threw open her room door as Anon followed her in. "We've got one last packet of Ribena we can share!"

"Sweet. So, what ideas you got in mind, maestro?" Natsuki asked Anon.

"Well…I suppose since we're a…you know, Literature Club…Poetry Recital?"

"We've collectively decided that it was a bad idea." Natsuki replied.

"What did I tell you?" Anon said to Sayori.

"Ehehe…I guess we don't have much to work with, do we…"

"Monika's other idea was a poetry skit. We're working with the Anime Club on this so it's relevant to both clubs. That sound good to both of you?"

"Skit? What; like a performance? And Anime Club? Why are we working with the Anime Club?" Sayori asked; a million questions clearly in her head.

"Well, the school decided to pair every performing club up, sensibly; you won't get Basketball with the Boy's Brigade or shit like that. And I said it wrong: The captain of the Anime Club came up with that idea; some guy named Mako."

"Aww man! I wish I could've been there!" Sayori groaned.

"You'll get your shot soon enough, Sayori…Anyway, if we can come up with one more idea, that'd be nice, but if not, we can always fall back on their plan. It's not a bad one if I'm being honest; and you know I HATE performing, so that's saying something." Natsuki scoffed.

"I think that idea's great! What do you think, Anon?" Sayori asked for her friend's second opinion.

"…I err…yeah…that's a…that's fine." Anon muttered.

"Eh? Why, what's wrong with it?" Sayori looked slightly disappointed by Anon's reaction.

"Hm? N-No! Sayori-Nothing's wrong with it! I'd say go for it even! I'm just not; you know…I don't think any of us are really…well…"

"Yuri's okay with it: What's your excuse?" Natsuki asked, eyeing Anon suspiciously.

"…" Anon gave Natsuki a look. "Got me there."

"Anon, we got this!" Sayori encouraged. "We're more prepared than ever! Sure, the Festival didn't go according to plan, but we'll come back, TWICE as strong! The other clubs won't know what hit them!"

"I don't mean to intrude on your optimism, Sayori, but Symphonic Band got paired with International Dance, and Guitar Ensemble got paired with Choir. We're kinda in the weeds right of the bat." Natsuki informed.

"Still!" Sayori shot up in her bed. "We cannot lose hope! When I come back in five days, I'm gonna help Monika and we're gonna win this thing!"

Natsuki raised an eyebrow. "…Sigh…As long as we believe, you're right Sayori."

"Yeah…" Anon replied, still sounding uninterested, but Sayori was already too hyped up to catch it.

"YAY! Alright Mr. Talent Show, bring it on!"

As Sayori continued cheering, Anon tried his best to keep a smile on his face. Unbeknownst to him, Natsuki was eyeing him, her suspicions growing by the second.

Just why on Earth does he seem so…annoyed?

…

"Mom? Dad? I'm home!"

Monika slowly closed and locked the front door.

"Is anyone home?"

Right on cue, Moniri scurried out of her office.

"So sorry, dear; I couldn't hear the bell ringing from inside my office…Err…so…how was school?"

Monika raised an eyebrow.

"It was…uhh…good…" The girl muttered awkwardly, while her mother stood there looking twice as awkward.

"Um…g-great! How's that uh...Literature Club of yours? You having fun…reading…uhh…books?" Moniri continued, struggling to keep her daughter's attention.

"Sigh…That's not all we do Mom…" Monika rolled her eyes, already done with the conversation as she walked past her mother.

"I-I…I know that…" Moniri stammered as she tried keeping up with the irritated girl. "M-Monika!"

"…What?!" Monika spat.

"Come on! Don't you want to share your day at school with Mom?" Moniri pleaded, sensing that her attempt at a conversation was on its last legs.

"Like I said: It was good." Monika casually answered before turning back around.

"So…Did you write any exciting poems?" Moniri tried one last Hail Mary, which seemed to work as Monika stopped in her tracks.

"Actually…" Monika turned back to face her mother. "We're taking a break on that…We've got a talent show coming up so…gotta practise."

"A talent show? Didn't know schools still do that sort of thing…" Moniri commented.

"Well…They decided to revive that idea…our high school was known for having these sappy events back in the day." Monika recalled.

"Mine too. I was part of the Japanese Dance and every year my team came-"

"-First place, gold medal with honours; yeah you told me that a million times already, Mom." Monika interrupted.

"R-Right. Well, just make sure you don't spend too much time focusing on the Talent Show; your exams are nearing." Moniri reminded.

"…Sigh…Duly noted…" Monika replied before walking off as Moniri looked on despondently.

The woman wanted to open her mouth and say something, but decided against it as Monika disappeared behind the archway.

"…Are we that far gone?" Moniri asked herself. "I can't even ask about her school without her thinking I'm pressuring her…but I have to pressure her! I've seen…too many people…fall down that hole…I-sigh…I can't let that happen to her, even if she hates me…"

Moniri rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"Sigh…Makumi…What have you done to our family?" the woman said to herself in despair before returning to her office and shutting the cedar door.

…

**End of Chapter Three**


	20. Season Two - Chapter 4: Bonds

BEEP BEEP BEEP

"-Gasp-"

Mio shot up in her bed as her alarm clock went off. Looking around the pitch black room, the realisation soon hit her like a bag of bricks.

"Ugh…Sniff, alright come on…"

Hauling herself out of bed, the tired girl powered through her urge to throw herself back onto her bed and walked out of her room.

"Please be here, please be here, please be here…" The girl said to herself anxiously as she headed into the other bedroom of her small apartment. "Oh thank God…"

Mio felt around the wall for the light switch and flipped it on.

"Good morning, Granny. It's time to wake up for your bath." Mio called out to the old woman lying on the bed.

No response.

"Granny? Sigh…Granny, it's time for your bath. You can go back to sleep once you're cleaned, okay?"

The old woman slowly stirred in her sleep.

"Come on Granny, I need to go to school. Come on-Up you go." Mio slowly assisted the frail lady to her feet. "Come on…slowly-one at a time, Granny."

The old woman slowly dragged her right foot across the floor, followed by her left as Mio held on to her patiently. After a minute of adjusting to the bright light, she slowly regained her senses.

"There you go…" Mio said gently as the old woman looked up at her.

"M-M-Mio?"

"Yes Granny, I'm here. I'm gonna give you a bath and then you can go back to your beauty sleep, okay?"

"M-Mio…Wh-Where are your parents, Mio? Oh your Mommy and Daddy must be so worried for you!"

Mio bit her lip. "Ahem…They are…They're not here, Granny…Mommy and Daddy are-"

"Ji? Ji, dear! Our Mio needs you to come pick her up! She can't keep staying at her Granny's!" The old woman continued shouting, sending Mio into a panic.

"Nonono, shh-Granny, relax, please. Mommy isn't here at the moment and I do not need to be picked up." Mio hushed, desperately trying to get the old woman to quiet down.

"J-Ji? JI!"

Mio winced as she braced herself for…

"Eh?"

…Apparently nothing.

"He's already out I guess…I just hope he brought his monitor…" Mio muttered to herself, as her grandmother slowly calmed down. "Granny, it's just me today, okay? Let's get you into the bathroom.

Mio and her grandmother slowly walked into the small and dilapidated bathroom. There was no shower; only a long green hose and a large yellow sponge. There was no shampoo or body wash either; just stacks upon stacks of bar soap and an empty bottle of bleach.

Giving a small smile to her grandmother, Mio closed and locked the sliding door of the bathroom

"Alright, Granny…Watch your step; the floor's still very slippery."

After twenty good minutes in the "shower", Mio finally slid the bathroom door open as her frail grandmother carefully walked out, fully clean and clothed. "Let's get you back in bed…Breakfast will be in the kitchen when you wake up; I need to go to school now, okay?"

"H-Have fun in school dear…" The old woman said, smiling toothlessly at her granddaughter.

"Thanks, Granny! I will do that!" Mio smiled back as her grandmother disappeared into her bedroom. "One of the better mornings…I can't complain."

As Mio headed to the kitchen to fix herself breakfast, she could hear the sound of her front door being unlocked. A grump looking old man walked in.

"Good morning, Grandpa." Mio greeted as he walked right up to the kitchen where she was.

"Mm." The grandfather grumbled back as he headed straight for the fridge. "Has she been cleaned?"

"Yes, Grandpa; I finished literally just now." Mio replied.

"Good. I don't want her hogging up my morning bath, heh…" The old man chortled as he grabbed a packet of Ribena from the fridge. "I'll make sure she eats."

"Thank you, Grandpa." Mio thanked her grandfather as he walked over to the old couch.

"Yeh…" the old man grunted.

"…" Mio sighed as she started spreading butter over a slice of bread. "…Could be worse…"

Another twenty minutes later, Mio had finished her breakfast and was packing another 4 slices of bread into a Tupperware.

"Grandpa, Granny's breakfast is in the blue one today." The girl called out.

"Okay." The old man answered.

"You err…you need me to bring anything for tea break? Lunch?"

"I'll make do…Just get her whatever you want…"

Mio took a deep breath. "…Sigh…okay, Grandpa."

With that, Mio placed the blue Tupperware into the fridge, grabbed her schoolbag and walked over to the front door.

"I'll be going now, Grandpa."

"Mm." The old man gave off another grizzled grunt as acknowledgement.

"…Right…" Mio rolled her eyes as she stepped out of the house and locked the door. "Please remember me when I come back…"

…

"They're here! Get ready!"

As the buses pulled up to the driveway of the school foyer, the student volunteers were already gathering and waiting for their partners. Keiji stood high on his bench, microphone in hand.

"Ahehem…Good morning students of Yamaku High! Welcome back for day three! How are ya'll feeling today?" Keiji broadcasted his voice all over the school foyer, but was met with miniscule amounts of response. "O…Okay…Little tired today I guess."

Behind the line of volunteers, Yuri stood nervously, waiting for her friends to arrive.

"Come on Monika…Where are you..?"

The girl nervously twirled her strands of purple hair as the club president remained missing. As she looked on, she could see Hanako alight from the second bus, already looking miserable.

"Oh, the poor girl…She must've had a terrible time yesterday with her irresponsible partner!" Yuri said to herself as the shy bookworm hid at the back of the gathering Yamaku students.

"Alright, if I may have all of your attention? Great! Now, on to the announcements for today's program!"

As Keiji started rambling on about the attachment program, Yuri could see that Hanako was already done with the whole thing and walked over to her favourite bench. Not a single volunteer noticed her slip off, no one said anything; even Mary was too busy chatting with Emi to notice.

"Oh Monika…You need to be here…now..!" Yuri muttered under her breath, noticeably more desperate as Keiji began wrapping up his announcements.

"Yuri? Yuri!" A voice came from behind the purple-haired girl.

"Oh, Monika! Thank God you're here!" Yuri heaved a sigh of relief as the club president ran up to her. "You gotta tell Keiji Tiff's plan quick!"

"Yuri, I can't just interrupt him when he's making announcements…I have to talk to him after they're done." Monika explained.

"What?!" Yuri exclaimed. "B-But-I can't stand to see her get pushed around anymore!"

"Yuri, look at me." Monika said firmly. "She will be your partner again by the end of the day, but I need to talk to both Keiji AND Emi, okay? She needs to hear this from me; I'm her superior, but Keiji's MY superior. I can't just make the decision on my own, okay?"

Yuri seemed to calm down a bit. "I-I trust your judgement, Monika." The girl agreed, although she still had an unsure tone.

"Thank you, Yuri. I'll handle it-Don't you worry." Monika reassured her friend just as Keiji finished his speech.

"Alright, go get em' tigers." The boy said to himself as the Yamaku students walked up to their partners. Tak walked straight up to his, seemingly the only excited to do so.

Yuri watched in dismay as Hanako timidly approached Mary, who didn't even seem to welcome her back. Instead, she kept chatting with Emi, whose partner was looking just as miserable.

"The poor girl…" Yuri said sadly.

"Alright. Follow me Yuri, quick." Monika signalled as the two girls walked right up to Keiji. "Hey, Keiji? May I talk to you for a minute?"

Keiji whirled around to see who was calling him, smiling upon seeing who it was.

"Oh, Monika. Uhh…sure, just give me a second…Tak, you know where to go, right?"

"Nonono, I can wait. I'll be by the alumni board." The boy said before plodding away as Keiji turned his attention to the two girls. "So what's up?"

"Keiji, you remember Yuri, right?" Monika asked as the student body president turned to a nervous Yuri.

"Oh, yes…Oh, is this about Hanako Ikezawa?"

"Yes it is." Monika nodded. "I have a proposition to make, actually, if you could kindly hear me out, but first, you're gonna need to get Mary and Emi over too."

Keiji sighed. "…Okay, Monika. Ahem-Emi! Mary!"

The two girls stopped their chatting to see who was calling them. Upon noticing Yuri, Mary's face immediately morphed into one that was more sinister, while Hanako looked down in embarrassment.

"Could you two bring your partners over please?" Keiji asked.

"Ugh! Make it quick, Keiji, we need to get to class." Mary grumbled, while Yuri shook her head disapprovingly.

"Alright Monika, it's all you." Keiji proclaimed.

"Right…So as you know…Yuri and I have come to a consensus that…Hanako would perhaps…benefit from having Yuri as a partner instead." Monika explained, while Mary and Emi simply rolled their eyes.

"This again? Really? I thought we settled that yesterday, Keiji." Emi gave Keiji an angry stare.

"Well, I have a proposition. She wants Yuri as a partner, you want to keep your points…Why don't we do just that?"

Mary and Emi looked at the group with questioning eyes. "Do what?"

"Let Yuri be Hanako's partner, but you still keep your points! And Keiji…You close one eye and pretend everything proceeding as normal. When the teachers come for the quarterly evaluation, tell them how great an orientation group leader Mary is."

"So you want me to lie, is that it?" Keiji asked.

"Come on Keiji." Monika sighed. "You know deep down that this is the right thing to do…Hanako will be better off with Yuri as her partner; they get along well, they both like reading…"

"You better watch your tongue, Monika…"Mary warned.

Keiji rubbed his temples as he scrutinised over what to do. "You guys…You guys are not making this easy for me…"

"She gets her points without having to do anything…It's a win-win for everyone." Monika backed up her idea.

Yuri held her breath as Keiji contemplated over what to do, while Hanako squeezed her book tightly.

"God…I didn't sign up for this…" Keiji muttered to himself as he struggled to come to a conclusion. "You guys man…"

All eyes were on the student body president.

"Okay…" The boy finally relented. "…Hanako, Yuri's your new partner…"

Hanako wordlessly ran over to Yuri's side, but it was clear from her eyes that she was overjoyed with the decision.

"But Yuri; you're okay with not getting any points, right? I mean, it is YOUR hard work you're putting in here." Keiji reminded.

"It's okay…I don't…I don't need any points…" Yuri stated.

"Very well then. Welp, I'll be off. I hope that this settles everything." Keiji declared before departing.

Yuri, Monika and Hanako left shortly after, catching their breaths after that hectic ordeal.

"Phew…I thought that would never end..." Yuri gasped breathlessly.

"I told you we would be fine…" Monika calmed the girl down. "You alright, Hanako?"

"I-I am…thank you, Yuri…" Hanako mumbled, still shaken up over the whole thing.

"You'll have to thank Tiffany for that; it was her idea." Yuri informed. "Anyway, let's get you to class. We'll see you at the club, Monika!"

"See you guys!" Monika bid farewell to the two girls before heading off her own way. However, before she could do that, she felt a tap on her shoulder. To her annoyance, it was Mary.

"Listen, president. You may think you're a saint for saving this girl from "crappy partner", but you're not so good yourself. If you were truly looking out for the little guy, you would help out Emi's partner too; or all the new students in fact. Aren't they just as miserable as Hanako according to you?"

Monika opened her mouth to refute, but found herself gasping for words instead.

"You better watch yourself…" Mary warned, before swiftly departing, leaving Monika in a stunned silence.

"…" Monika stared as the girl made her way to her class. Her mouth hung ajar as thoughts flooded her head, but none of them could be processed.

"I-I..."

Still no words.

Monika clenched her fists tightly, before finally heading off to her own class.

…

"Are you sure? Because I can cover for you if you're not willing to go…"

"It's okay, Natsuki…I've been away for too long and...I guess it's finally time to make my return. That sounded way more epic than it needed to be, didn't it?"

"Damn right. Don't expect some party or trumpets playing…We're just happy to have you back, is all." Natsuki rolled her eyes, smiling.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…It's about time I meet the new members too…What did you say her name was again, Tiffany?"

"Yep. A sophomore who migrated from the States. Not sure which state exactly, but she looks like a west-coast kinda girl; not being racist or anything." Natsuki explained.

"Well, I can't wait to meet her. I hope she likes the club, although I can't really say much since she's been there for only two days." Anon mentioned.

"Oh you'll be fine. She a bit like Monika, but slightly less mellow and more mischievous. Scratch that, actually she's more Sayori than Monika…"

"Monika, huh..?" Anon's tone dampened slightly, which Natsuki immediately noticed, but chose not to say anything.

"Yeah…Monika…The two are already getting along super well, so…I don't see why you won't."

The couple continued their lunch in silence, but Natsuki soon felt Anon's soft gaze on her as she ate.

"What?"

"Are you happy?" Anon asked gently.

"Eh?" Natsuki's face scrunched up. Clearly she wasn't expecting this sort of questions during lunchtime. "What kind of question is that?"

"I-!" Anon's face turned beet red. "What do you mean what kind of question is that?!"

"What do you mean what do I mean?! You know what I mean! I'm over here minding my own business and you're over there asking me deep philosophical questions!" Natsuki squeaked, clearly amused by Anon's level of embarrassment.

"Oh come on! I mean, are you happy! With the club! In general!" Anon gasped.

"Hahaha! Oh, lighten up, I was only teasing…" Natsuki pouted, sensing that she had made the boy uncomfortable. "…I guess right now…I don't know…The whole club's just kinda confused…if you know what I mean…We're still struggling to find our identity, especially since barely anyone turns up anymore…it's like we're sort of there, but sort of not there at the same time…"

"I get what you mean, and frankly, that's kind of my fault." Anon replied. "I should have been there when the club needed me the most…but I took the easy way out by just not coming…"

"It's not your fault, Anon." Natsuki said reassuringly. "I'm to blame, honestly. I didn't take things very seriously at the start either-I mean, I know I warned at you on the second day not to not take things seriously, but if anything, I contributed less than you."

"We're all to blame." Anon finalised, not wanting Natsuki to take the blunt of the club's slow decline. "But you know, it's been a learning experience for all of us. And I know Sayori really wanted the club to succeed…and we all...we all…"

The boy struggled to finish his sentence.

"We all let her down…" Natsuki finished it for him. "But now, with Tiffany joining and the new students and the talent show coming up, we have a chance to make things right for them: Sayori AND Monika…and all of us in fact."

"…Sigh…yeah…" Anon wistfully agreed. "We all did things we…well…I mean, I can't speak for everyone, but-"

"No, you're right. But I AM happy, I promise. I'm happy we're finally getting recognition-GOOD recognition…I'm happy that Yuri's getting more confident…and I'm especially happy that everyone else is happy…Jeez, I sounded a lot like Sayori just then, didn't I?"

"Heh heh heh! You sure did…But I agree with you. Being together is the most important thing in a time like this…" Anon smiled warmly, causing butterflies to emerge in Natsuki's stomach.

"W-Well…You're not wrong…And I don't mind being together with you anyway, so…" Natsuki stammered, blushing heavier by the second.

"Hm…" Anon's smile evolved into a smirk. "Oh, you…'

"W-What?! You've said so many nice things to me, can't I say ONE nice thing to you?!" Natsuki squeaked, clenching her fists tightly.

"Hah hah! Of course you can! And I'm happy that you're happy."

The two stared at each other for a few seconds before someone came up and sat next to them.

"Eh? Oh, hi Amy." Natsuki greeted her red-haired friend. "Amy, this is Anon. Anon, this is Amy, my childhood friend."

"Nice to meet you." Anon said politely, shaking Amy's hand.

"Nice to meet you too…so, you're the boyfriend?"

"I-Err…" Anon stammered initially, but something in him gave him surprising amounts of confidence. "…Yes. Yes I am."

Anon's lack of awkwardness seemed to take Natsuki by surprise too. "Erm…yeah. Anyway, you coming to the club today?"

"Not today, no. Something came up at home, but I should be able to make it tomorrow. I hope it'll be a better experience than the Drama Club…" Amy noted cautiously.

"Oh relax: Anon's the only guy there." Natsuki reminded.

"Good. I don't want anymore simping to occur." Amy let out a sigh of relief.

"I'm sorry, what?" Natsuki's face scrunched up. "Simping? The hell's simping?"

"It's a term I came up with; it's basically when boys act all nice and smooth in hopes of getting a girl to like them even though the girl has zero interest in them…It'll catch on."

"Yeah, next year, maybe. Anyway, you don't have to worry about any of that in the Literature Club, I promise." Natsuki assures her childhood friend.

After a few minutes of silence as Amy joins the couple for recess, Anon suddenly speaks up again.

"So…Amy…how did you come to know Natsuki?"

"We were in the same kindergarten; I don't really remember much, all I knew is we hanged out a lot…and I mean: a lot. The only other thing I clearly remembered was how we met."

"Yep." Natsuki interjected. "Both of us were paired up as pee buddies on the first day, and she got water up her nose because she stuck her hand under the tap. I had to help the caretaker clean her up and everything, and we kept laughing about it ever since. And I didn't know why she did that at the time-"

"-And neither did I…turns out I had OCD and it was an uncontrollable tic, hence why I'm in this uniform now." Amy finished, jerking her head as if to confirm Anon's queries.

"I see…When did you find out?" Anon asked, his curiosity increasing.

"After Dad passed. It got especially out of control after his death, so Mom took me to see specialists and well, here we are." Amy explained, getting slightly emotional after having to retell her story to yet another person.

"Damn…I'm so sorry…That must've been hard for everyone…" Anon noted solemnly.

"It was for my mom and even Natsuki. She had…well…"

"My Mom passed away when I was young as well; younger than Amy when her Dad passed…" Natsuki finally revealed to Anon.

"Woah-WHAT?!" Anon exclaimed, his eyes filled with shock and sadness. "N-Natsuki…I-I…"

"It's okay, Anon. I never really told anyone besides Amy; not even the club or the twins. The time will come soon enough for the rest, but I'd figured I tell you know since we're…you know, dating and all." Natsuki explained."

"My God…And you helped her despite all that? N-Natsuki…I-I don't know what to say…That's remarkable!"

"A-Ah…" Natsuki blushed slightly, but instead of responding with a flustered scoff, she instead looked away shyly. "Th-Thanks…"

"Ah, that's all behind us now." Amy smiled knowingly. "Anyway, you two should get going; your club's starting soon, right?"

"Yeah, you're right." Anon noted as he finished the last of his lunch. "Alrighty, let's go."

"Yep." Natsuki added as the duo bid farewell to Amy and made their way over to the Literature Club.

…

"Erm, hello?" Tiffany poked her head through the clubroom door. Not surprisingly, Yuri and Hanako were already seated at the far end of the room, reading away. The duo looked up from their novels upon the sound of the door creaking open.

"Oh. Welcome back, Tiff!" Yuri greeted warmly. "We're still a little early and Monika told me to tell everyone that you are free to do whatever you want until she arrives."

"Hey Yuri, Hanako!" Tiffany greeted back as she walked over to the two bookworms. "So I'm assuming that my plan worked?"

"It did!" Yuri answered gleefully. "I can't thank you enough for your help…"

"Ahaha…well…" Tiffany blushed slightly. As she sat down in front of her, Yuri noticed something was off about the new girl's eyes, but before she could have a second thought, Hanako suddenly spoke up.

"Th-Thank you, Tiffany…It…It means a lot…" the timid girl said as she smiled shyly.

"Aww, you're so precious you…It's not biggie; we new students have got to stick together." Tiffany gave the shy girl a big smile, causing her to feel even more flustered. "Well, I'll leave you two to your reading…You said Natsuki keeps her Manga in the closet, right?"

"Well, yes…but I don't think it's a very good idea…unless you want to get yelled at." Yuri warned.

"HAHA! Oh, don't worry, I won't touch anything…I brought my own." Tiffany explained as she walked over to the table closest to the closet and sat down.

As Yuri resumed reading her book, she suddenly felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Hm? What is it, Hanako?"

"W-Well…I…" Hanako stumbled over her words initially, but after seeing Yuri's warm smile, she quickly loosened up. "Erm…It-it might be a bit embarrassing…but I want to go and thank Tiffany again…"

"Eh?" Yuri looked slightly confused by Hanako's request.

"Uu…well…I feel like I didn't thank her enough, but…I-I don't know if I can do it…" Hanako admitted, getting embarrassed once more.

"Hanako, it's okay…And frankly, I get it. When I first joined the club…even though I knew all the girls beforehand, it was still quite a chore for me to even initiate a conversation with them…Let me guess; you're afraid you'll say something wrong and they'll get annoyed at you?"

"It's not really that…I want to get to know her more…but I'm afraid that I'll run out of things to say!" Hanako exclaimed.

"Oh…Well…I don't think you'll encounter that problem with Tiffany, huhu!" Yuri giggled slightly.

"…" Hanako looked over at the sophomore. "…But…"

"Hanako." Yuri put her warm right palm over Hanako's. "You can do this. We're all here for each other in the club, aren't we? Even if we weren't, we still treat everyone how we want to be treated, so don't worry, okay? You got this! I'm here for you!"

Hanako stared into Yuri's eyes as she instantly returned to ease. "…I guess you're right...okay…you can do this, Hanako…"

After a few deep breaths, Hanako carefully stood up from her seat and walked over to Tiffany, brining _Life of Pi _with her.

"I…I better not eavesdrop…" Yuri noted to herself before returning to her book.

As Hanako cautiously approached Tiffany, she could feel herself trembling more and more as she got closer and closer. However, after a quick glance back to her partner, a surge of confidence overwhelmed her as she sat next to the sophomore.

"Hm? Oh-Hello again, Hanako! Can I help you with something?" Tiffany asked, turning to face the timid girl.

"E-Erm…y-yes, actually…I-I would like to say that…I…I'm really thankful for what you've done!"

Tiffany was clearly taken aback by Hanako's sudden surge of emotions, but continued listening intently nonetheless.

"A-And…You didn't really have to do that for me…W-We don't know each other that well and everything….so…th-thank you…"

"Oh you…Alright…You're welcome Hanako. From what Yuri said, your actual partner wasn't exactly…the best?"

Hanako looked down as her face turned red. "N-Not exactly…I-I don't really want to talk about it…"

"That's fine; you don't have to if you're not comfortable. But regardless, I wouldn't stand for it, you know? I've seen the same shit happen back in America and I'm not gonna let it happen in Japan as well."

"Well I appreciate it a lot…"

"Yep. I'm glad that whole situation has been resolved. Yuri's a very good partner, isn't she?"

"She is…"

A brief moment of silence followed. Hanako, sensing slight awkwardness rising, quickly took out her book.

"Erm, do-do you like reading, Tiffany?"

"I do, but I wouldn't say I'm as hardcore as you or Yuri are. Even Manga…like I don't really read AS much as when I was younger, but I'm definitely still open to anything." Tiffany explained, showing her Manga to Hanako.

"Oh!" Hanako's eyes lit up as soon as she saw the cover. "I know this one!"

"Yep. Junji Ito's _Uzumaki_. I figured since I get the best of both worlds with Nat and Yuri and got a horror slash thriller Manga-that way we have stuff to talk about in group discussions." Tiffany explained.

"I think it's one of the only few Manga series I know, besides the mainstream ones of course." Hanako replied. "Well…so besides reading…erm…what else do you like to do?"

"In my free time…hmm…Have I already told you that I'm a songwriter?"

"…I…err…I may have overheard you saying that to…Monika?" Hanako answered nervously.

"Aha. That's pretty much what I do afterschool. Whenever homework's pissing me off or I had a bad day in school, I just write songs about it." Tiffany smiled.

"That's…really…in-teresting…" Hanako replied, struggling to come up with the right word to use to compliment Tiffany, while racking her brain for a follow-up. "…How…Erm…Do you…release…them...?"

"I upload a few that I'm proud of to Soundcloud; I get a few listeners here and there but it's nothing special." Tiffany answered.

"W-Well…If you keep trying…I'm sure you can…get there?" Hanako tried, which thankfully seemed to please Tiffany.

"Aw shucks. Thank you, Hanako." The American gave her new friend a wide smile. "What about you, Hanako? What do you like to do in your spare time?"

"W-Well…" Hanako, clearly unprepared for the role-reversal, sputtered as her mind drew a blank. As the amount of quiet time increased gradually, she decided to resort to a safe option first. "I-I mean…I don't think it's surprising…but…I like to read."

"Ahaha!" Tiffany chuckled. "You're not wrong there. What do you like to read?"

"Oh-Umm…just about anything really…I'm into adventure slash science fiction, but pretty much anything that has an engaging story should hold my interest." Hanako said.

"I guess that's the way with most of us here; the genre doesn't really matter if the story is strong, right?"

"Oh-d-definitely! As well as good characters."

"And a logical plot."

"And…err…" Hanako's mouth dried up as she tried to one up Tiffany. "…umm…"

"-And a respectable ending. Hehe, I win!" Tiffany giggled slyly, causing Hanako to pout. "Oh you…You'll get me next time."

"Hehe…" Hanako giggled as well. However, before the duo could continue their surprisingly engaging conversation, the club door exploded open.

"Guess who's back? Back again?" Natsuki sang as she pranced into the clubroom, Anon awkwardly shuffling in behind her.

"Sigh…Hey everyone." The boy greeted unenthusiastically after seeing only one familiar face.

"It's good to have you back, Anon!" Yuri greeted politely.

"Hey Yuri. It's good to be back."

"Alright, Anon." Natsuki spoke up. "It's time to meet the new members and coincidentally they're sitting next to each other. The one with green hair is Tiffany-"

"You can call me Tiff."

"-and the one with dark purple hair is Hanako."

"Ah, well it's nice to meet both of you." Anon said politely.

"Likewise." Tiffany replied casually.

"It's nice to meet you as well…" Hanako replied slightly more formally, which resulted in a light giggle from Yuri.

"Monika told me to tell you all that you're free to do whatever you want before she arrives." The purple haired girl relayed.

"Ugh. Of course she's late again." Natsuki groaned. "And is that Junji Ito I see, Tiff?"

"Haha, yep! I knew that would catch your eye!" Tiffany laughed cheekily.

"Aww sweet! We are so reading that as a group later if Monika allows. Yuri, you know that one right?"

"It's a pretty popular one, so yes." Yuri answered. "And I actually wanted to read it after finishing _Parfait Girls _but I don't mind putting it on hold for now."

"I-I know it as well!" Hanako chimed in.

"Awesome! Everyone here knows the good stuff! Anon, what about you?"

"Ahem, not trying to flex, but me and Sayori finished it a week ago." Anon proclaimed proudly.

"Alright!" Tiffany exclaimed. "Looks like we got a club full of people with great taste! Now all we have to do is wait for the head honcho and we're good to go!"

Right as Tiffany said that, Monika rushed into the clubroom with an exasperated expression on her face. "I'm super sorry everyone!"

"Let me guess: Piano?" Natsuki questioned the club president, placing her hands on her hips.

"Ahaha…yes…" Monika replied, embarrassed.

"Well it's no biggie; Anon and I just entered not too long ago either."

"Eh? Oh, Anon! You've finally returned!" Monika turned her attention to the boy, but was met with significantly less happiness.

"Yep. I'm back." Anon muttered, quickly looking away and back to the rest of the club, while Natsuki looked on suspiciously.

"E-Err…right." Monika's face fell, but quickly changed it back to her usual upbeat demeanour. "Ahem! Wow! I've never seen so many people in the club before!"

"Yeah yeah yeah, life is good-Can we get to the important stuff already?" Natsuki groaned impatiently, causing both Yuri and Tiffany to giggle.

"Ah…" Monika's face grew beet red. "I…Sure…What's on your mind, Natsuki?"

"I know we still haven't had a confirmed idea for the Talent Show yet, but can we postpone that to tomorrow? I got something in mind for the whole club to do as a whole and besides; I got a friend coming over tomorrow as well, so we'll have one extra brain to think with us." Natsuki said.

"Oh-erm…" The emerald-eyed girl looked disappointed by Natsuki's suggestion, but upon seeing the expectant faces of everyone else, she decided to go with her friend's plan. "I suppose we aren't in that much of a rush as of now…"

"Awesome! So I saw Tiff holding Junji Ito's _Uzumaki_ and apparently everyone here knows what it is…ah-do you…know it, Monika?"

Tiffany held her volume up for Monika to see in case she wasn't familiar. "I don't think I've seen this series before…"

"Really?! Well it doesn't matter; Yuri and Hanako are going in blind as well so you won't be alone." Natsuki assured her president. "Alright! Now all we gotta do is arrange the chairs into a semi-circle so we can all read together!"

Before Monika could say anything, the rest of the club immediately got up from their seats and began arranging the chairs and tables, while Yuri made her way over to the closet to take out her teaset.

"Y-Yeah…" Monika muttered silently. "Let's…do that…"

Before long, the reading arrangement had been set up and Yuri had finished setting up her teaset.

"Sweet!" Natsuki exclaimed. "Alright everyone, take your seats; let's read some Junji!"

The pink haired girl quickly sat down in the middle chair, with Anon taking his seat to her left. As Yuri began pouring the tea into the teacups, Tiffany took a seat on Natsuki's right and held the book in the middle of the semicircle.

"Is this good?" She asked.

"Yeah, it's fine. Even if we can't really see, we'll be reading out loud anyway."

"W-What?!" Yuri exclaimed in shock. "We're reading out loud?"

"I mean, I was just thinking Tiff since it's her book." Natsuki shrugged. "And you seriously think I would ask you to read out loud in front of everyone knowing how shy you are? Gimme some credit here, jeez."

"A-Ah…if you put it like that…th-thanks, Natsuki…that's very thoughtful of you." Yuri blushed, taking a seat to Anon's left. A nervous Hanako followed suit.

"Hehehe!" Natsuki grinned.

Still feeling the tension in the air, Monika apprehensively sat next to Tiffany as the sophomore proudly opened her copy to the first page.

"Feel free to pour yourself more tea whenever you feel like it." Yuri announced happily.

"Okey-dokey, let's go!" Natsuki cheered as the group huddled around her and Tiffany.

As Tiffany began reading aloud, Monika could barely see what was on the pages; it seemed like Natsuki was pulling the copy more towards Yuri's side.

"Sigh…" Monika let out an internal sigh as the rest of her club looked already engrossed. Even Hanako was intrigued by the story she couldn't see. "This is gonna be a long day…" the club president thought.

…

"_have fun at the club! and tell the girls i said hi!"_

"_Will do. You sure you'll be okay?"_

"_of course i will doofus! its not like youll be going to the club everyday now right?"_

"_Hehe…just making sure."_

Sayori smiled while looking through her past texts with Anon. Unfortunately, as she had changed her phone a few times over the years, most of her old and longer chats were gone with the wind, but that didn't stop her from reminiscing over what remained.

As she scrolled all the way to the top, she was slightly dismayed that it only went back to 2017, their first year of high school. If 2016 was the year they stopped hanging out, 2017 was the year they stopped talking altogether. What was even more saddening was the fact that the conversations were mostly scarce, with most of it being the basics.

"_Hey. So I heard you're going to the same high school as me?"_

"_i know i know i knowwwwwwwww! im so excited!"_

"_I hope we're put into the same class lol. I haven't seen you in ages."_

"_im right across the street dummy…"_

"_Haha! I know, I've just been so busy studying for finals."_

"_omg same! i couldnt even watch stranger things because of it!"_

"_Well now you can. Anyway, how did you do for the finals?"_

"_ehehehe…i wont say its super good but i think i did quite well for some subjects"_

"_That's great!"_

"_thanks!"_

The chat quickly came to an abrupt halt.

"I kinda lied to him, didn't I? I didn't actually do that well…" the girl said to herself sadly. The next conversation they had was the very next day, where Sayori had finally caught up with _Stranger Things_.

"_i finally finished stranger things!"_

"_It's pretty good, right?"_

"_yaaaaaaaaasssssssssss! i love eleven so much shes so cute omg!"_

"_Haha! Is that seriously all you got out of that show?"_

"_eh? of course not meanie! the action and mystery are also awesome! and i especially loved the part where wills mom set up the lights"_

"_Yep. That was one of my favourite scenes too. Do you think they'll win best drama series at the Emmys?"_

"_it has too its too good! and millie bobby browns gonna win the oscar as well!"_

"_Sayori, it's a TV show. TV shows don't win Oscars."_

"_wait really? i didnt know that"_

"_Welp, now you do."_

Sayori blinked. The next conversation was months later.

"Seriously? That ended so fast?" Sayori thought to herself. "We used to go on for hours discussing our favourite shows and movies…"

With a dejected sigh, Sayori mindless scrolled through the rest of the depressing texts until the more recent ones.

That was until her phone suddenly vibrated.

"Eh?"

It was a text from Mio.

"Oh? It's Mio…What's up?" the bubbly girl said to herself as she switched convos.

"_Need u 2 come right now. Urgent."_

Sayori's face fell as soon as she read the text. Nothing good could ever come out of that.

"_on my way. hang tight okay?"_

Without waiting for a response, Sayori leapt out of her bed, grabbed her bag and ran down the stairs.

"Mom, I'm going to Mio's for a while, I'll be back for dinner but I might be late." She informed as she briskly walked towards the front door.

"Okay sweetie, stay…" Before Midori could even respond, her daughter was already out the front door. "…safe…"

"I'm coming Mio…don't you worry…" Sayori said to herself as she hurriedly made her way to the bus stop.

…

…

…

"_im on the way up mio just hang tight!"_

After a nail-biting trip, Sayori finally reached Mio's block and was headed up in the elevator. The whole journey she had been texting her reassuring messages, but whether or not they worked was a whole other story.

As the elevator reached Mio's floor, Sayori was surprised to see Mio already waiting at the lift landing.

"Mio-?"

"Get back inside. Get back inside." Mio said hurriedly as Sayori slowly backed into the lift. "We need to find her before Grandpa wakes up."

"Alright, alright; I'll help you as much as I can, just breathe, okay? We can find her." Sayori reassured her friend to no avail.

"Breathe?! She could be in a different town by now! How the hell am I going to find her?!"

"Mio! Relax!" Sayori shouted, grabbing Mio's shoulders forcefully.

"A-Ah!"

"Look at me!" Sayori said firmly. "We are going to find her, okay? I promise you we will find her."

Mio stared deeply into Sayori's eyes. "Okay…"

"Now take a few deep breaths, and when we step out of the elevator, we're gonna be a-okay, okay?"

Mio rolled her eyes. "Sure, a-okay."

"Yay! Let's go!"

As the elevator doors slid open, Sayori and Mio immediately began their search.

"Let's try the Lawson first; the cashiers there know Granny" Mio informed.

"Great idea!" Sayori replied.

The two friends quickly made their way over to the convenience store, where a rather muscular young man stood by the cash register.

"Why, good afternoon Mio!" the cashier greeted.

"Hey Ken…umm…did you by any chance happen to see my Grandmother pass by this store or go anywhere?"

"Err, no; it's been rather quiet today as a matter of fact…why, is something wrong?" Ken asked, growing slightly concerned.

"W-Well…if she happens to pass by here again, please let me know, okay? Give me a call or text me; whatever just inform me." The red-haired girl said exasperatedly.

"I mean, I will do that, of course, but…what's going on?" Ken asked, raising an eyebrow.

"N-Nothing!" Mio hastily replied as she pushed Sayori towards the front doors. "Just-just call me if you see her."

Before Ken could say anything else, the two girls were already out on the streets.

"Okay, where to next?" Sayori asked, as Mio began looking around frantically.

"I…I…I don't know..; this is literally the only place I can think of where she might go…"

"What about that elderly gathering place a few apartments down?" Sayori suggested.

"Nah, the patrons dislike her for that one time she shat all over the place. And they hate Grandpa even more for yelling at both her and me when we had to clean it up." Mio explained.

"Well, that guy just now DID say it's been relatively quiet…maybe there are hardly any elders there too."

Mio looked back and forth between Sayori and the direction of her apartment.

"I suppose it's worth a shot…let's go."

As quickly as they made their way to the Lawson, the girls soon found themselves at the senior citizen's corner. There were a few old folks resting here and there; one old lady was doing stretches by the marble table while two men were playing some weird game by a stool.

"Remember how I said they don't like my grandparents at all?" Mio suddenly whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Well…they kind also don't like me too…maybe you should ask them."

Sayori looked at Mio. Her eyes had heavy bags under them and sweat was gleaming off her face. Something told her that it would be wise to comply, at least for now.

"Sigh…Alright…"

Sayori made her way to the centre of the gathering elders, while Mio hid behind a marble pillar.

"Ahem! S-Sorry, may I have everyone's attention?"

The few old folks turned their attention to the nervous girl.

"E-Ehehe…I-err…H-Has anyone seen…H-Himiko Arakida..?"

Upon hearing that name, most of the elders grimaced, with the exception of one old man seated at the far end of the area on a dull green bench.

"I saw her walk past a few minutes ago…by the looks of things she might be heading over to the playschool." The old man said. "Are you another one of her granddaughters?"

"Ehehe…no, I'm just a family friend. Thank you so much for your help mister!"

"Happy to help." The old man said, smiling warmly, as Sayori looped back around the pillar to round up Mio.

"That guy's the only one who doesn't hate Granny." Mio explained. "He's like some kind of spiritual…I don't know; he's always sitting at that bench and meditating or something."

"I like him! He's nice!" Sayori grinned.

"Also, he isn't wrong. Now that I think about it, she's definitely there." Mio noted. "C'mon, let's go."

As the girls raced over to the playschool, sure enough, Mio's grandmother stood by one of the windows, looking inside.

"Ah shit…Why didn't I think of this sooner?" Mio groaned, as she picked up her pace. "Granny! Granny!"

The old woman didn't respond. Instead, she carried on peering into the playroom.

"Granny! Granny, come on, let's get you home!" Mio raised her voice, which seemed to work as the old lady turned her attention to her.

"Oh hi there! Give me a second, I'm waiting for my granddaughter's class to end." Himiko explained.

Mio stared blankly at her grandmother before letting out a huge sigh. "Alright Sayori, tag in."

"Err…ehehe…H-Hi Granny Arakida! It's me, Sayori!" Sayori cheerfully greeted the frail old lady.

"Oh, hello Sayori! Why, you wouldn't have happened to see my granddaughter, would you?"

As Mio hid behind a pillar for the second time, Sayori awkwardly fibbed an excuse.

"I-err…why, perhaps she's already back at home, Granny Arakida? Come on, let's go!" Sayori offered, smiling sweetly.

"I-I suppose the teachers could have let her go earlier…" Himiko conceded before following Sayori, while a dejected Mio tailed behind.

After a short but tense trip, Sayori, Himiko and Mio returned to the apartment.

"I-I don't think I can see Mio inside!" Himiko exclaimed, getting anxious."

"Oh Granny Arakida, she's behind you, silly!" Sayori faked a giggle.

"Eh? Oh, Mio! You had me worried! Why didn't you tell me you were going home from school yourself?"

"I'm…sorry? I…My phone died, Granny. Anyway, why don't we go inside and have a nice hearty lunch?" Mio urged, forcing out a smile.

"Why certainly…" the old woman said. "Sayori, why don't you join us?"

"Ehehe…I err…I'm having lunch with…my…boyfriend." Sayori lied, getting nervous as well.

"YES! She…she has a date-lunch date, and I decided not to get in the way." Mio explained frantically. "Alright, I guess that's settled, why don't you go and get ready first Granny and close the door behind you, I have to talk to Sayori for a while first, thank you!"

After lightly pushing her confused grandmother into the house and closing the front door, Mio turned back to Sayori, finally at ease. "Fooh…I'm glad that's over."

"See! I told you we could find her!"

"Yeah, I should have listened to you, Sayori…I'm sorry." Mio apologised.

"That's okay…I get pretty stressed sometimes too...but it's over now and she's safe so…"

To Sayori's dismay, Mio still looked pretty shaken and her mood wasn't improving.

"Are you…gonna be okay?" Sayori asked, visibly worried.

"Yeah I mean…you know…that's my life." Mio responded half-heartedly as her friend watched on sadly. "You should…you should probably go before he sees you…"

"Are…you sure? I'm not gonna leave unless you're alright!" Sayori stated firmly in a similar tone she uses when with Anon.

"Sayori…please…I'm, I mean you're right that I'm not okay, I'm just not in the mood to talk about it right now…I'll text you later, okay? Promise."

Sayori watched on as Mio dragged herself back into the apartment and closed the door behind her.

"…Sigh…I'll…see you soon Mio…" the girl said mostly to herself as she walked back over to the lift landing. "I guess I better text Mom too."

As Sayori took out her phone, she was shocked upon seeing what time it was.

"HOLY-! That took…oh crap!"

Sayori quickly opened her messenger.

"_sorrrrryyyyyyyy mom! im done at mios and im coming back as soon as possible!"_

"That should be enough for now…"

With that, Sayori stuffed her phone back into her pants pocket and hurried into the lift, before spamming the ground floor button.

…

…

…

"Hey Mom…I'm sorry I'm late…" Sayori rushed into her house in panic.

"Oh Sayori, you're finally back." Midori approached her tired and sweaty daughter. "You didn't…run all the way back here from the bus stop, did you?"

"Ehehe…" Sayori giggled through her heavy pants. "…kinda…"

"My goodness! Sayori, you really didn't have to do that; I wasn't annoyed! Go freshen up first!" Midori suggested.

"Sorry Mom…" Sayori hastily apologised before heading upstairs.

"I'm not mad, Sayori. You did message me in advance, you know? That's responsible." Midori called out, sensing she had dampened her daughter's mood further.

"I know! I'm just apologising for the smell!" Sayori's voice echoed from the second floor. "And thanks Mom! I appreciate the compliment!"

"Oh-well…To be fair, her scent isn't the best…Wait, what am I saying-you're welcome bun!"

Ten minutes later, Sayori came back downstairs with a sky-blue towel wrapped around her hair. "Mom, can I eat first? I'm starving."

"Of course you can sweetie. Just don't forget to put your towel in the wash later." Midori informed as she set up the dinner table.

"Will do: I'm responsible after all, ehehe!"

After settling down, the mother and daughter soon began their dinner.

"Hey…err, Mom?"

"Yes sweetie?"

Sayori decided it was finally time to spill the beans on her routine trips to Mio's. Midori didn't seem to mind her consistently visiting her friend, but Sayori felt keeping her in the dark wouldn't be beneficial in the long run.

Still, it took a while for her to spit it all out.

"Well…sigh…Promise you won't freak out?"

Midori gulped down some water and gave her daughter a weird look. "Okay..? Did you do something wrong?"

"No, no! It's…It's Mio. There actually IS a reason why I keep going over to her house; especially these last few months."

"Why is that?"

"Ah-well…" the girl could feel her words forcing themselves back in. "…Mio's…well…her family life isn't exactly the best…"

"Oh dear…" Midori's face fell as quickly as Sayori's. "Are…Are her parents going through a sort of divorce? Financial issues?"

"The thing is…She stays with her grandparents. She doesn't know what happened to her parents; all she knows is the minute she came back from the hospital, she was in her grandma's arms." Sayori explained solemnly. "And her grandparents won't explain what happened because her grandma has Alzheimer's and her grandpa's a senile loudmouth who hates them both."

"That's awful!" Midori exclaimed.

"Yep…Her grandmother only seems to recognize her when I'm with them. Some days it's manageable…and other days…" Sayori slowly trailed off, slowly getting emotional. "…Sniff…Today was the worst yet; she wandered out of the house on her own and went to the nearby playschool-we were lucky we found her before she wandered too far away!"

"Oh no…" Midori looked visibly distressed as her daughter laid all the information out for her. "Is…Is there anything we can do?"

"Well, her grandpa hates me more than both of them…so I doubt I can be of much help."

"Well-That's simply unacceptable!" Midori spat. "Has he said anything rude to you?"

"Erm, I-err…" Sayori looked away uncomfortably.

"Oh my goodness! The nerve of him! What did he say?! Did he shout at you?!" Midori demanded to know, fury slowly building up inside her.

"Well, it was on the first visit; I still really didn't know the severity of the situation…and…" Bad memories flashed in Sayori's head as she started trembling more and more. "I…I don't like remembering it…"

"Okay, that's it. Me and you; we are going to that house and we are going to give that old man a piece of our mind!" Midori stated firmly. "Who does he think he is, talking to you; a guest, like that?!" Midori stated firmly.

"I-! I don't think that's a good idea, Mom! It will just make things worse for Mio!" Sayori argued.

"This is outrageous! The poor girl!"

"Mom, please…" Sayori begged. Seeing fear in her daughter's eyes, Midori slowly released her anger and took a deep look at Sayori.

"Sigh…Can I at least go over there and see how things are? Does her grandfather go out often?"

Sayori pondered over the question for a while. "Now that I think about it…Mio does mention him going out on walks and to talk to the other elders…Mostly he just goes to local food places to drink."

"Great. Then I would like to go over there and talk to Mio first."

"Mom!"

"What?! She's your friend! Don't you want to help her?"

"I have been helping her…" Sayori muttered dejectedly.

"Oh…Oh honey, that's not…that's not what I meant at all." Midori apologised, sensing that she had hurt her daughter's feelings. "I'm sure Mio appreciates everything that you have done-"

"It's okay Mom, you're right. Mio's my friend-no, Mio's one of my best friends! And I want her to be happy…" Sayori said. "We're going there tomorrow afternoon."

"Well, I have a bar meeting tomorrow, but I'll see what I can do." Midori stated.

"Okay!" Sayori cheered, her jovial mood returning. "Mother and daughter against forces of evil!"

"Ehehe!" Midori could barely contain her laughter after hearing Sayori's heroic voice. "Easy, Wonder Woman; eat your super food before it gets cold."

"Ehehe!"

With that, the two women resumed their dinner in high spirits.

…

**End of Chapter Four**


	21. Season Two - Chapter Five: Spiders

"Thursdays are the worst."

"No, Mondays are."

"Mondays are so cliché: Oh I hate Mondays so much, they like totally ruin my vibe; come ON Kisami, you can't seriously be this basic?!"

"Look who's talking."

"God, can either of you start a conversation without it leading to an argument?" Monika shook her head as her two friends went at each other's throats. "Besides; Thursday's such a random day to pick."

"Ohh…look at that." Kisami celebrated her victory rather unenthusiastically.

"Pfft-whatever, nihilist. But I'll tell you why Thursday are awful; homeroom. Forty minutes of doing jack while club president here gets to do experiments!" Fumi exclaimed.

"Not true, not true at all; we've stopped doing practicals for a good month, especially after Sayori blacked out doing titration. And why are you even complaining when you picked a course with ZERO sciences?"

"Because full arts is fun? Duh?" Fumi rolled her eyes.

"You were LITERALLY just complaining."

"Yeah-Because what part of homeroom screams fun?! Why can't we just dive deep into Geography or History without having to spend forty minutes listening to a teacher ramble on about politics and health-ed?!"

"Because it's important?" Kisami replied.

"Bitch, you never find anything important." Fumi scoffed.

"Are we seriously gonna keep this argument going during assembly?" Monika groaned as the three girls approached the school hall.

"There you are, Monika!" A shrill voice suddenly pierced the corridor. All the other students making their way to assembly turned their heads over to the commotion. To Monika's dismay, it was Mary and Emi. "Well well well, and if it isn't her two lackeys joining her." And apparently, they had met Fumi and Kisami sometime back.

"Oh God; it's discount us. What do the two of you want?" Fumi asked crossly, stepping in front of Monika.

"Ha! Oh that's funny…" Mary squinted her eyes, getting all up in Fumi's face. "We're not the ones with a more popular girl in our clique."

"Can we…not do this here?" Monika pleaded as more students started to gather.

"Yeah one sec Monika; exCUSE me? Who the hell do you think you two are?! Did you really think you two are popular enough to have someone like Monika in your clique? Don't kid yourselves." Fumi said, completely ignoring her friend.

"Ohhh…" the crowd seemed to like Fumi's attempt at a roast. Mary, however, wasn't fazed.

"Oh you guys like that, huh?" Mary asked aloud, clearly referring to the crowding students. "How about this: I'm surprised the two of you could even see us with your heads up Monika's ass!"

"OHHHHHHH!" the entire corridor roared, as Fumi looked like she was ready to knock out Mary. Kisami, as expected, kept her poker face.

"Are you not entertained?" Mary boomed, raising her arms proudly. However, her victory was short lived as an even louder voice rumbled through the corridor, causing everyone else to stop cheering instantly.

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!"

Fumi, Kisami, Mary and Emi spun around in shock to see a fuming male teacher, face completely red and sweaty. He was a teacher that the four girls did not recognise. Behind him stood Mrs. Chen, looking completely embarrassed by the situation.

"EVERYONE GO TO THE SCHOOL HALL BEFORE YOU ALL GET DETENTION!"

Without saying a word, the crowd slowly dispersed, leaving behind the four girls and-

"Monika?"

Fumi whirled around to find out that her friend was nowhere to be seen.

"Where-where is she?"

"Probably in the school hall getting ready for chemistry. I wouldn't be surprised considering how immature we're being…" Kisami reminded.

"Pfft! That coward! She has the balls to tell me how to be a good student leader yet she dips the minute her "friends" get into trouble?" Mary scoffed, before the new teacher shut the argument down for the second time.

"ENOUGH! ANOTHER WORD OUT OF ANY OF THE FOUR OF YOU AND YOU'LL BE SUSPENDED FOR THREE WEEKS! GO TO THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE RIGHT NOW! Isabel, lead them there and make sure not a single word comes out of them."

The girls gave each other death stares as they were herded away by an annoyed Mrs. Chen, with the exception of Kisami who looked as if someone had stolen her last chicken nugget. All the while Fumi kept glancing back at the school hall, trying to figure out just where the hell Monika ran off too.

…

"Oh, good! Monika, you're here." Mrs. Itami greeted the popular girl as she sat down at the very end of her class.

"Gee; I wonder what all that commotion was about…" Jin asked his friend as Monika made herself comfortable.

"Probably more girl drama." His friend answered as the two boys chortled silently. Monika could only roll her eyes as she tried her best to pay attention to the morning announcements. As she had arrived late, they were already midway through the announcements.

"Congratulations to our netball girls!" Akane said from the podium as a barely audible applause scattered throughout the hall. "Up next, we have the Anime Club here to share with us some exciting news. The Anime Club, please."

Monika watched as Mako confidently made his way up the stage, a far cry from the rest of his members.

"Ahem…testing…Good morning fellow students and teachers, my name is Mako Kazami, captain of the Anime Club. Seeing as the month of May has recently come to an end, our club members would like to share with you the top 5 Anime of the month they would recommend. Without further ado, I will now pass the time to my vice-president Roy to announce the number 5 spot. Roy, please."

As expected, the applause left much to be desired. Monika felt strangely sympathetic towards the optimistic boy as he tried his best to remain composed despite a lack of interest towards his club.

It was beginning to feel all too familiar.

"Hey Jin, why aren't you in the Anime Club? I thought you loved that sort of thing?"

"Nah, I just like reading Manga. I'm not THAT pathetic to spend my time watching a recreation of the thing I'm reading…" Jin answered his friend. Monika found it hard not to open her mouth as the two boys continued to joke around instead of paying attention to the speaker.

"…and that is why…it is the…number fou-five spot on our list…I would now like to pass it on to my fellow club mate Albert who will share his number four pick. Albert please."

It didn't take long for the entire school hall to get restless. Aside from a select few who were completely engrossed in Albert's speech, pretty much everybody else were chatting amongst themselves.

"Fantastic school we have here…" Monika said to herself as the low hum slowly and steadily got louder and louder, until a teacher had to intervene.

"EVERYBODY SILENCE!"

As it turned out, it was the same unfamiliar teacher who broke up the argument ten minutes ago; whom Monika saw coming before she tactically left the scene of the crime.

"THE TWO BOYS OVER THERE, STAND UP!"

Monika felt her heart skip a beat as the direction of the teacher's finger landed right to her left.

"Wh-Wha…" Jin's mouth hung ajar as his brain slowly processed what had just happened.

"YES, THE ONE I'M POINTING AT. BOTH OF YOU, COME UP HERE."

Jin and his friend exchanged panicked looks before the both reluctantly stood up.

"UP HERE, STAND NEXT TO ME." The teacher brought his finger down to the empty space on the hall next to him. All eyes were on Jin and his friend; Monika, Albert and the rest of the Anime Club, along with every teacher and student present. Amusingly enough, Monika could just make out tears welling in Jin's eyes as he shuffled out of his row and down the aisle. His friend donned the classic smile; the smile you do when you pretend everything is fine but in reality you're dead inside.

"ANYONE ELSE WANTS TO JOIN THEM?!"

No response from the dead silent school hall. The teacher stared daggers at the entire cohort before silently returning the mic to the AV crew, and with that, announcements carried on as usual, this time with far less chatter amongst the audience.

Before long, the Anime Club wrapped up their top 5 and passed it on to Akane who quickly released the restless crowd.

"Alright class, let's go." Mrs. Itami gathered her supplies for the day as the class lazily got to their feet.

"Mrs. Itami, may I carry that for you?" Monika asked sweetly, extending out both her arms.

"Why, thank you Monika!" Mrs. Itami smiled brightly before handing a few stacks of today's notes into Monika's outstretched arms.

As the chemistry class made their way out of the school hall through the side sliding doors, Monika suddenly bumped into someone on her way out.

"Oh my goodness! Watch where you're-"

As Monika somehow managed to keep both her balance and Mrs. Itami's worksheets in her arms, she was surprised to see who she had just bumped in to.

"Oh hey Monika…sorry about that-I…I didn't see you coming from around the corner." Mako apologised sheepishly.

"Good morning Mako, oh my what a coincidence…and you don't have to apologise, it was my fault for not paying attention to where I was going…"

"Eh? You just told me to-"

"Ahahaha…well…It was just…instinct..?" Monika blushed as she uncharacteristically fumbled over her words.

"Don't worry, I believe you."

As the wide walkways narrowed into the two people wide bridge that linked the hall block to the lecture theatre block, Monika and Mako soon found themselves brushing up against each other; shoulders touching.

"Ahem-hey how come you didn't come around to the club yesterday?" Mako asked, trying to alleviate any awkwardness.

"Oh-right. Well, Natsuki decided to have a Manga reading session with the club as a way of integrating the new members and making them feel more at home. I'm sorry for not stopping by; she just seemed too excited to share her Manga so I decided not to ruin her moment."

"No, I get it. If it helps strengthen your club's bond then go for it. If anything, I'm the one who has to strengthen MY club." Mako replied jokingly, causing the both of them to chuckle.

"Ahaha…I'm sorry no one really paid any attention to your announcement…

"Ah geez…It's not a big deal, really. I kinda knew no one would give a crap about a club that watches cartoons all day…"

"I-I did listen to what you and your members had to say…if that helps…"

"Aww, thank you Monika. I'm touched." Mako joked, though Monika could see a hint of sadness in his eyes.

"You did a good job with what you were given though. I don't think anyone else could carry on talking after given a cold shoulder by the entire audience." Monika said encouragingly.

"Thanks. It means a lot." Mako gave Monika a warm smile. "But yeah, I kinda needed to; otherwise the morale for the rest of the members would be sapped. If their leader is unconfident, they would be too, ya know?"

"Ahaha…as the president of the Literature Club I can't say we've been in that situation yet, but I totally get you. And your members should be proud of you."

"Well, I don't know. I don't think they really felt anything besides dread and misery up there and I don't blame them. To give them credit, all those Animes they listed? Yeah; they're all super fans. If they talked amongst each other about them I guarantee it would sound completely different."

"Yeah, I have a club member who's pretty much the same; you didn't meet her that time-her name's Yuri and she's, like you said, shy when talking in front of an audience, but with the club it's like it's her job to tell us stories. She's recently come out of her shell, though."

"Hahaha, I hope the same can be said for my boys. The one thing I hope to achieve before leaving is getting the Anime Club on the map. I want it to be up there with Floorball and Dance as one of our school's marketable clubs…but with our level, or lack thereof rather, of confidence, I seriously doubt we have a shot."

"Hey, don't say that! Every club has a shot; the club showcase gets reset every year and they don't always pick the big four, you know?"

"Well, the Anime Club has been around for a reasonable amount of time…and it's probably last on the list. Your club only formed two months ago, so there's still hope."

"I don't even know if there's hope to be honest…I really want to keep it going as long as I can, but I don't know if I'm way too optimistic or too deluded if I'm hoping that it keeps growing after our batch graduates…We only have one sophomore; Tiffany and if we don't get any new members after the talent show, I'm seriously considering giving up." Monika lamented.

"The Talent Show…I'm starting to think it's not at all worth it, but you know what?"

Mako suddenly turned to face Monika, causing her to blush.

"From now until the day of the Talent Show, let's promise each other to work extra hard to motivate our club members. We'll give them encouragement, practise our public speaking and performing, your club will write some of the best poems in history, while my club will create the best script ever known to mankind. We'll go into the talent show, put on a great show, and win the whole thing. And a year after our graduation, we'll return to the school on its anniversary day and see both the Anime Club AND the Literature Club displayed on banners on the school walls. What do you say, deal?"

Monika was completely taken aback by the bespectacled boy's sudden declaration as he held out his hand expectantly.

"U-Uh…deal…" Monika gingerly shook Mako's hand, once again surprised by his firmness and strength.

"And if our efforts were in vain and we don't even come in the top three; and I'm talking SERIOUS effort here, then we retire, hand the club over to our VPs and focus on our final exams."

"Wait, what?!"

That entire last part seemed to come out of nowhere.

"Just kidding! You don't seriously think I would retire over this, right?" Mako laughed.

"A-Ahaha…of-of course not, haha…" Monika laughed nervously, still uncertain whether the boy was joking or not.

"Welp; my class is over on the left. See you later!"

"Y-You too…"

Monika watched as the boy joyfully strolled down the left corridor and disappear into one of the classroom.

"Hmm…what a character this guy is…" the brown-haired girl said to herself. "Maybe we do have a chance of succeeding with him at the wheel…huh."

After brushing past the stream of students making their way to their classes, Monika eventually reached her chemistry class.

Laying the stack of binders on the teacher's table, Monika walked over to her seat at the back where Akiro was already seated. Thankfully, he was chatting with the other rowdy boys near his desk to even notice her.

Instead, her attention drifted to the empty seat at the very front of the class.

Mrs. Itami had changed seats frequently following the day of the festival. Now, no one sat at the table next to it either.

"Sigh…I miss you, Sayori…" Monika whispered to herself sadly. "You couldn't come back any sooner…"

For many days, the empty seat had been in the back of Monika's head. The once lively and energetic chemistry class was now a dour place; even Mrs. Itami didn't seem to be having fun. The only positive thing was the transfer of the mouth breather Kouichi to another school.

"That dickhead didn't even get to pay for all the pain he caused her…all the times he belittle her and made her feel like shit! If I ever see that cretin again I'm gonna beat him senseless…" Monika seethed, as thoughts of the ex-student body president came back to her.

"Alright class, everyone settle down." Mrs. Itami called out as she finally entered the classroom.

As the chatter died down, Akiro quickly noticed Monika next to him.

"Good morning Monika!" he smiled creepily.

"Just, just stop trying. It won't work." Monika snapped, not even bothering to look at him.

"Heh…one day…one day…" the boy said sneakily as he turned his attention to the front of the class.

After the class exchanged greetings, Mrs. Itami pulled down the projector screen and began her lesson. Monika, however, was not in the mood to listen. Instead, she carried on staring at the empty seat.

"Ehehehe!"

The sound of innocent laughter echoed inside her head. Monika winced.

"...This is going to be a long day…"

…

"Okay; here me out. We'll be in and out in fifteen minutes."

"Do you even know how far your house is from here? We'll never make it back in time!"

"Natsuki; do you seriously believe I don't know how far my house is? I'm pretty sure it's obvious I'm WANTING to skip lessons."

Natsuki crossed her arms.

"Seriously?! Skipping lessons?! You're out of your mind."

"I'm serious!" Amy protested. "Besides; isn't your next lesson the reflective learning one? Hmm."

"Success for learning? Yeah; but the teachers holding it are dead serious on everyone attending. Last month a whole group of boys skipped the whole period and when they came back, they scolded them like there was no tomorrow and ate into our Japanese class. And as a result, Mr. Murakami was even more pissed off than usual for the rest of the lesson, which in turn meant even more scolding." Natsuki ranted. "And don't you have to be there for Akane? Her points will get deducted if they catch her without you during lessons!"

"Forget about her! It's only for one day! I'll explain everything; I promise. If anyone catches you, I'll say I forced you to come with-me! OKAY." Amy begged.

"Amy, listen." Natsuki took a deep breath. "I know it sounds weird that I of all people will refuse an offer to skip class, but I'm doing it for your sake. You don't want to school to get a bad impression of Yamaku, right?"

"People ah-already do." Amy admitted mid-tic. "Please, Natsuki…just today. For me. I…I really n-e-ed this, right now."

Natsuki looked at Amy sadly. After years of not even knowing if the other was alive, maybe a day out together won't be so bad.

"Sigh…Just today…And it's all your fault if I get caught, okay?"

Amy was overjoyed.

"Yep; all me. Everything will be my fault, I plead guilty!"

"Hahaha! Let's go already!" Natsuki laughed as the two girls headed towards the side gate.

As the duo approached the gates, they could see a tall man standing by it, hands on his hips. Natsuki recognised him as the raging teacher from this morning.

"Where do the two of you think you're going?" the man called out as he noticed the two girls approaching him.

"Oh, err…" Natsuki stammered, clearly frightened by his imposing stature.

"I have-mmm-OCD and I left my pills at home. Natsuki is here to escort me back in case something bad happens or if I lose my way." Amy interrupted.

"You have such a serious medical condition and you left your pills at home?" the teacher asked sternly. "How could you be so irresponsible?"

"Well…I forgot BECAUSE of my medical condition." Amy followed up. "Have you ever thought of that, mister?"

"Amy!" Natsuki whispered harshly at her friend's rude attitude, while the teacher angrily stared her down.

"Sigh…I guess I didn't." He conceded. "But first one's free. If you come by here again tomorrow, I'm sending straight back the other way."

"Duly noted, thank you! Come on, Natsuki." Amy said hurriedly as she pushed Natsuki out of the gate and out of the school building.

"Jesus!" Natsuki squeaked once they were round the corner from the side gate. "You almost got us into trouble straight away!"

"Got ME into trouble. I'm the one taking all the blame, remember?" Amy reminded her wary friend."

"Sigh…" Natsuki seethed disapprovingly. "You didn't actually forget your pills, did you?"

"Of course not! Are you crazy?! Like it would ever be worth using that as a real excuse over getting a seizure and dying!" Amy hissed. "Now, come on."

"Ugh, alright!" Natsuki groaned as the two girls picked up their pace. "What's the fastest way to get to your house again?"

"Just take the bus, alight four stops at the train station and it's another three stops. My house is not that far from the station." Amy said.

"But it IS far from school." Natsuki sternly reminded.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. We'll make it back before school ends." Amy reassured.

"Not good enough."

"FINE. Last period?"

Natsuki raised an eyebrow before erupting into laughter. Amy soon followed.

"HAHAHA! I missed this." Natsuki said, wiping her eyes.

"Ditto, sister." Amy jovially agreed, and the two childhood friends shared a fist bump.

…

"_ill be coming over again during recess i hope you dont mind"_

Sayori stared at her phone restlessly. It was approaching recess time for the school and Mio still hasn't seen her message and although she isn't against surprise visits, Sayori felt that it would be better to let her know in advance.

"It'll be okay…it'll be okay…" Sayori said softly in an attempt to calm herself down. However, the sound of her front door unlocking sent her into panic once more.

"Sayori? I'm home!" Midori called out.

"I'm in the living room Mom!" Sayori shouted while still looking at her chat.

"Let me change out of my work attire first and I'll be right with you, okay?"

"Okay!"

The sound of the front door closing and locking was followed by the sound of footsteps up the stairs.

"Only five more minutes until recess…Don't worry Mio; we'll get to the bottom of this…" Sayori told her phone screen. "Screw it; I'll let her know Mom's coming over as well."

Sayori's little fingers tapped across her screen.

"_oh and moms coming over too if you dont mind! see ya there!"_

"Alright, that should be enough for now; I don't want to spam her…"

Swallowing some accumulated saliva, Sayori set her phone down on her table and twiddled with her thumbs, her heart rate increasing as time went by.

"Alright; I'm done. Are we ready to go?" Midori said as she walked down the stairs. She had changed out of her sleek and smart pantsuit and into a pink blouse and jean shorts; something similar to what her daughter would wear.

"Yep!" Sayori smiled. "Just…Let me take my-oh whoopsie, ehehe!"

As the girl hastily stood up, she reached over to grab her phone, but it slipped out of her hand and plopped down onto the carpet.

"Sayori, is everything okay? You seem rather jumpy as compared to this morning…" Midori noted.

"Ah-D-Do I? Ehehe…well, I guess I'm kinda nervous, is all…"

"Oh, there's nothing to be nervous about sweetie! Mommy will do all the talking and keep you safe, okay? I promise. And if anything goes awry, we'll leave immediately and I will never mention any of this every again." Midori swore, holding out her pinky finger.

"I-I…" Sayori took another deep breath. "Okay…"

The mother and daughter locked pinkies.

"That's my bun! Now let's get going!"

…

…

…

"Alright Mom, this is the place."

As Sayori whipped out her phone to see if Mio had finally messaged her back, Midori took a second to familiarise herself with the new scenery.

"So this is the senior citizen's corner, like you said, right?"

"Yep…" Sayori answered, still fumbling around with her phone.

"Interesting…" Midori muttered as she glanced around the open area. It was exactly how Sayori described it; a few elders sitting and chatting, some resting, and a few others playing board games. "How often does Mio's grandmother come down here?"

"Well, it used to be almost daily…but not anymore…Leaving the house is too big a risk; even if it's just downstairs."

"And her grandfather?"

"Actually he DOES go out a lot, but not to here. Mio's family…isn't exactly well-liked here…" Sayori replied dejectedly. "…with the exception of-Oh, oh!"

Midori spun around in shock and her daughter suddenly started cheering.

"Mom, I would like you to meet someone!"

Midori found herself swiftly being dragged through the senior citizen's corner to a dull green bench at the far back. An elderly man sat there with his eyes closed, not paying any attention to his fellow elders.

"Sorry, erm, excuse me mister?" Sayori called out as gently as possible, not wanting to startle him.

"Hm?" The old man calmly opened his eyes, which lit up as soon as he saw who had called him. "Ah, it's you again! Good to see you…I didn't quite catch your name yesterday…"

"Ehehe! I'm Sayori!" The gleeful girl introduced herself. "And this is my Mom!"

"Very nice to meet the both of you, you can just call me Miyogi." The old man smiled brightly.

"It's nice to meet you as well, Mr. Miyogi." Midori smiled back.

"Mom, this is the guy who helped Mio and I find Granny Arakida yesterday! He was such a good help!"

"Is that so? Thank you very much; I'm sure my daughter greatly appreciates your help!" Midori thanked the old man.

"It's no trouble at all, aha…" Mr. Miyogi laughed. "Are you here to visit Mio again?"

"Yep, we are!" Sayori said happily. "And actually…did you happen to see Grandpa Arakida come by here?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact I did…He just got the paper and went on his way; my guess is he went to the coffee shop."

Sayori and her mother exchanged looks. "Right! Perfect! Thank you for your help again, Mr. Miyogi!"

"You are very welcome Sayori, and take care!"

After bidding farewell to the serene old man, Sayori and Midori walked over to the lift-landing of Mio's flat.

"You ready?" Midori asked her daughter as the lift arrived.

"Ever ready!" Sayori exclaimed and with that, the mother-daughter duo headed into the lift.

…

"Oh boy, am I starving…"

As soon as the bell rang for recess, Monika immediately left her classroom and made her way to the canteen. After a rather uneventful Chemistry lesson, her subsequent classes were even worse and Monika was just about ready to throw herself out of the windows just to get a change of pace.

"Oh, right; it's Thursday…" Monika suddenly remembered when going over the menu items. Since it was a Thursday, the western stall had switched to chicken chops while the Udon stall switched over to spicy stir-fry.

"I don't mind me some spice today…Maybe that will finally kick-start this boring day…"

As Monika made her way over to the popular kid table, she suddenly felt a hand wrap onto her shoulder.

"Kya-!"

Spinning around in fright, she was quickly relieved to see who it was.

"Oh, it's just you two…"

"Where the hell did you go?!" Fumi demanded furiously as Kisami watched from a distance, looking surprisingly worried.

"What do you mean where did I go; I'm going to the canteen now!" Monika said, confused and slightly stunned by Fumi's venom-dripping tone.

"Cut the bullshit, Monika-You know what I mean!" Fumi snapped, causing both Monika and Kisami to wince.

"Fumi-I have no idea what you're talking about! Why don't you explain it to me since you're clearly the only one who knows what you mean! Or do you want Kisami to explain it to me?"

"Actually, I don't really mind explaining-"

"NONO-That won't be necessary, Kisami." Fumi interrupted her friend. "Earlier this morning, outside the school hall. What the hell was that?!"

"Again! Not sure what the hell you mean by "that"! Care to be more specific?!"

"Ditching us! Hanging us out to dry after WE defended you from those bitches!" Fumi seethed with rage.

"I mean…Kisami didn't…"

"She's right, I didn't." Kisami admitted.

"EXACTLY. And yet SHE got detention instead of YOU. For doing NOTHING. And you're still not feeling even remotely sorry!"

"You guys got detention? For that?! That's insane!" Monika exclaimed.

"Yeah! No thanks to you. What the hell is wrong with you?! You don't just do that sort of thing! We're your friends!" Fumi shouted, clearly unhappy with Monika's quiet escape.

"Guys, I'm sorry! I already told you not to argue in front of everyone else but you didn't listen!" Monika protested.

"Oh-So it's OUR fault for defending you?! Are you serious?!"

"Fumi, that's enough…" Kisami said, again surprising Monika with her clear worry.

"NO! Kisami, don't you get it?! We stuck our asses into the fire for this bitch and she repays us by not even getting punished with us! She just left us to suffer for a problem SHE created!"

"I NEVER ASKED YOU TO HELP!" Monika yelled. "What did I say; I said NOT do this here, because it was AVOIDABLE conflict! And what did you do; you just barged in like it was your business! And that's the problem; IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!"

Fumi took a step back, looking shock and hurt, while Kisami shuffled uncomfortably. Monika and Fumi stared at each other for a painstakingly long time before Fumi finally shook her head with a scoff.

"Heh…well excuse us for trying to stand up for a friend…Kisami, let's go; it's clear she doesn't want us around anymore…" Fumi said, as she and Kisami turned to head back to the canteen.

"Fumi, I already said I'm sorry! If I had known you two would get detention I would have told them it was my fault!"

The red-haired girl stopped mid-walk and turned back around to face Monika.

"Who was the one who brought you out of the shit? Me. Who was the one who decided to talk to you when nobody else would? Me. And Kisami as well, never EVER short-change her efforts."

As Fumi ranted on in a low, demonic growl, Monika could only hang her head low in guilt.

"The shit you just pulled on us today…ditching us like we're garbage; on me, sure: fuck it-loads of boys have done this shit to me MANY times. But you ever pull that kind of stunt on Kisami like that again…someone who's helped you more than you could ever know since she doesn't really say much, don't even bother trying to apologise anymore…"

Monika could feel her face warming up as Fumi slowly backed away.

"Oh-And Mary's threatening to reveal your master plan. Yeah. The teachers are planning on removing all her points for the buddy-system and she told Emi that she's gonna reveal everything; and how you pressured Keiji into switching partners even though it's not allowed."

"Wh-what?" Monika stuttered in shock from this revelation.

"That's right. You're welcome. Oh, and my bad for helping you without your permission again."

With that, Fumi finally made her leave and headed for the canteen. A despondent Kisami soon followed, leaving Monika in a stunned silence.

A few minutes passed and Monika continued standing by the wall, with nothing but Fumi's venom-laced words circling her head.

"…D-Damnit…"

Monika bit her lip as she struggled to hold back her tears.

"Fooh…Keep it together…I-I should probably go and eat already…"

As Monika looked over at the canteen, she realised that Fumi and Kisami were probably going to eat at the popular bench, which means that was out of the question for her.

"Oh, wait! I-I can always find Sa-"

Monika stopped herself mid-sentence.

"…Oh…Right…"

As she walked further through the canteen, careful to avoid Fumi and Kisami, she spotted Yuri and Hanako seated at the far end. "Ah-perfect!"

However, as she walked over to them, she realised that it would be better not to disturb their reading session.

"Hmm…"

As Monika scanned the remainder of the canteen, she noticed Tiffany with her class. Even if she wanted to sit with her, which would just be awkward as hell, there wasn't any space on the bench anyway.

"Erm…I wonder where Natsuki is…"

Praying that her last option would be her salvation, Monika took out her phone and messaged Natsuki.

"_Hey! Where are you? You want to eat recess together?"_

"_CAN'T, SORRY. I'M KINDA IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING RIGHT NOW."_

"Well, that's the end of that…" Monika said to herself in dismay. Completely demoralised, she walked over to the vending machine instead and bought a small bag of chips.

"So much for spicy udon noodles…" Monika muttered as she made her way to one of the benches that wasn't fully occupied and sat at the far corner, away from a small group of boys.

As she began tearing open her bag, she could feel the eyes of the students walking past her bench.

"Isn't that Monika?"

"Why's she sitting alone?"

"Hooray! Now I can say that my social status is on par with the school sweetheart!"

Monika could feel her cheeks get warmer with every passing word. For the first time in a very long time, she was sitting alone in a corner of the canteen. Even Yuri had a partner. It was almost too miserable to look at.

"Eh?"

From the corner of her eye, Monika spotted a familiar figure hunched over at the unsheltered area of the canteen. As soon as she saw who it was, her eyes lit up and she immediately made her way over to the hunching boy.

"Hello, Anon! Do you mind if I join you?" Monika asked sweetly as she sat opposite him. Anon looked up and his face immediately fell.

"I mean, you're already sitting, so…" The boy replied nonchalantly.

"Aha…I-I guess I am…" Monika stammered awkwardly. Apparently his cold and distant behaviour from the hospital still lingered.

Without saying another word, Anon returned to his…spicy udon noodles. Once again, Monika was left in a stunned silence; the one thing she was actually looking forward to before the club quickly getting ruined.

"So…" The popular girl started, hoping the awkwardness wouldn't last. "How has your day been so far?"

"Fine." Anon shrugged, not looking up from his bowl; which upon closer inspection was already almost empty.

"Ah…Great…" Monika slumped back in her seat, her efforts getting shot down instantly. "That's…great…"

The emerald-eyed girl looked down at her bag of chips. Surely there's gotta be something that would get him talking, right? Her brain was starting run out of ideas.

"Why…Why aren't you with Natsuki today? Don't you usually eat lunch together?"

The boy looked up for a split second, gave Monika a weird look and then returned to his bowl.

"Does it really matter who I eat with?"

"Ah-"

Monika opened her mouth, but immediately closed it. It was painfully obvious that he did mind her sitting with him, but to leave now would only raise more questions than answers, especially in a school where gossiping was the main way of communication.

Thankfully, Anon put an ease to that thought by getting up himself.

"I'm done."

And just like that, Monika was left alone yet again. As she looked on as Anon walked over to the washing bay to clear his bowl, she could feel her heart sink lower and lower.

"…"

The demoralised girl kept staring at the food stalls, until she realised she was still holding on to her chips.

"I'm not even hungry anymore, aren't I?" she said to herself as she got ready to get up and leave. However, she was stopped by the sudden arrival of-

"Yuri! Hanako! Wh-What are you guys doing here?"

"W-We saw you sitting alone...a-and we decided to come and keep you company-a-assuming you want us to…" Yuri said politely, while Hanako looked on from behind.

"A-Ah…Why, of course I would want that! Your company is always appreciated, Yuri! Yours as well, Hanako." Monika answered, forcing a smile.

"Ah…In that, case…" Yuri smiled sweetly in return as she and Hanako took their seats opposite Monika. "Actually, we were only seated a few benches down…D-Did you not see us?"

"N-No, I don't think I did…" Monika lied. "Anyway, thank you; both of you…you didn't really have to do that…"

"Nonsense! We're your friends, Monika! And friends have to always look out for each other!" Yuri exclaimed. "I-I also noticed you were kind of down…Is everything alright?"

Monika inhaled deeply and held it. "Yes. Everything is fine, Yuri…I'm just a little…Well, lessons were a complete and total bore and…I'm just kinda tired, that's all."

"I see…" Yuri responded. "I-I understand how you feel…Why I wasn't completely bored by physics, I had to help Hanako stay awake quite a few times, uhuhu…"

"It-It was pretty difficult...th-the teacher's dull and droning voice didn't really help much…" Hanako admitted sheepishly.

"Ahaha! There's nothing to be embarrassed about, Hanako! I find myself falling asleep during boring lectures as well!" Monika giggled at Hanako's blushing, her mood finally improving.

"Monika! That's not something to be proud of!" Yuri chided.

"I know I know…I'm just saying it isn't such a bad thing for Hanako because you're a very dependable person!"

"M-Monika…" Yuri's hands jumped up to her chest as her face turned beet red. "Th-That's very nice of you to say…"

As the two girls resumed eating, Monika looked in between the two girls. Yuri had never approached anyone in the past; at least before the festival, but seeing her socialising without fear was really heart-warming to see. Not only that, but she also helped someone else shyer than her also be more confident with herself. It's almost applaudable.

Actually, it is applaudable. The more Monika thought about, the more she realised how much the club had helped Yuri. From barely being able to even answer with "yes" or "no" to taking on the role Monika held a few months back is seriously impressive.

"M-Monika? A-Are you not going to eat?"

Monika was suddenly jerked back into reality by Yuri's calm and soothing voice.

"Ahaha, silly me! Y-Yeah, I'm just…I just blanked out for a second, don't mind me."

As Yuri returned to her meal, Monika finally dug into her bag of chips.

Maybe things won't be so bad after all.

…

"_Hey! Where are you? You want to eat recess together?"_

"_CAN'T, SORRY. I'M KINDA IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING RIGHT NOW."_

"Freakin' Monika!" Natsuki exclaimed in frustration as she slid her phone back into her skirt pocket.

"Why, w-w-what happened?" Amy asked, curious.

"Eh? Oh, it's nothing. Just that she chose today of all days to have recess with me…Anyway, it's just around the corner, right?"

"Yep! God-I can't believe you're going to my house, right now! When's the last time you saw my mother?"

"Err…I think…No wait, it can't be, right?" Natsuki asked herself as she thought about her childhood. "Actually…yeah, I think it's Mom's funeral…Holy shit, has it actually been that long?!"

"Huh…Ngn-Now that I think about it…we haven't seen each other for a good bit, have we?"

"No…we haven't…But I'll tell you right now, I am beyond grateful that you're back in my life."

"Well, you're about to have someone else back in it right now." Amy noted as they closed in on a house with a bright red roof.

"Holy…It…I...You guys…Wow!" Natsuki exclaimed, words struggling to materialise in her mouth as she stared at awe at Amy's humble abode.

"Heh heh…pretty cool, eh? My Mom-MOM-my Mom and I decided to give it a refurbishing after Dad passed. It was like something in her snapped and she got super into decorating…and I'm not gonna lie; it was probably for the better."

"Are you kidding? You house looks…I-I almost didn't recognise it! If it wasn't for the-"

"-The giant spider mural on the left wall, right? Haha! It would've been a crime to paint over it." Amy chuckled at Natsuki's awestruck expression.

"Still, I mean…holy shit…" Natsuki gasped.

"Hahaha! Go on; soak it all in, girlfriend."

As Natsuki felt the walls of Amy's house with her right hand, the latter unlocked her front door and walked inside.

"Are you coming inside or what? I mean, it IS a pretty good looking wall."

"Can it, smartass. Hold on; one sec."

As Natsuki took off her school shoes, Amy set the keys down on her shoe drawer. "Mom! We have a visitor!"

"Oh? You didn't say anyone was coming over!" a female's voice echoed down the halls as the sound of a door creaking open could be heard.

"That's because it's a surprise, Mom!" Amy called back as a shadow emerged from around the corner.

"Oh my God..!" Natsuki exclaimed in shock as Amy's mother came around the corner. And apparently Amy's Mom felt the same way as both of them stared at each other; mouths wide open.

"N-Natsuki? Is that you?" the woman rolled her wheelchair closer to get a closer look. "Oh my goodness…"

"Mrs. Okazaki…" Natsuki, while initially speechless, quickly ran towards the woman and gave her a tight hug.

"It's been a very long time…" Mrs. Okazaki whispered as she gently stroked Natsuki's hair. "You're…you're so big!"

"Yeah well, we all know that's a lie…" Natsuki joked as she released herself from the hug.

"No, no, I'm serious! It seemed like only yesterday where you were sharing lunch with Amy…And now you're…You're here…"

"It's…It's a surprise for me as well, heh…" Natsuki laughed awkwardly as the woman clasped her cheek with her hand.

"The school where I got sent to for that two week course thing? Yeah; by some unparalleled amount of coincidence, it's the high school Natsuki's in. She-HMM-She saw me while walking past a classroom and, well…we reunited. Surprise, Mom." Amy smiled bashfully.

"Oh, honey…I'm so happy that you two found each other again…Back in pre-school up to kindergarten you two were nearly inseparable." Mrs. Okazaki noted.

"Hehehe! I guess that's still true now." Natsuki giggled.

"I'll go make us some food; you two can go and catch up." Amy offered as she headed into the kitchen. Natsuki took a seat on the sofa while Mrs. Okazaki rolled herself in between the armchair and said couch to Natsuki's left. After a short period of silence, Mrs. Okazaki spoke up.

"So how are you doing? Are you holding up well?" the woman gently asked.

"Erm, well you know; as good as I can be really…It was really hard for the first two or three years, but once high school rolled around I'm pretty much over it at this point." Natsuki answered.

"How about Shinzo? How's he holding up?"

Natsuki bit her lip.

"He's…It's one day at a time for him…But we're working things out…his job's been really stressing things out, but you know I think we might be able to escape this." Natsuki half-lied, leaving out all the nights of terror she had to experience.

"I'm glad that you're doing so well after all that…I can't really same the same for Amy and me…" Mrs. Okazaki admitted, glancing back at the kitchen where her daughter was.

"Um…Forgive me if this is a sensitive topic…but...erm…"

"Haha…No it's fine…Err, did Amy tell you how the house was redesigned?"

"Yep."

"Well…I put a lot of work into the reconstruction…and I had to do two jobs after Hideyo passed; cleaning up after Amy was a ton of work, but it's a lot better now…eventually my back gave way and, well…here I am today…"

Natsuki looked on sorrowfully at the woman. Like Shinzo, she looked at least ten years older than her actual age.

"Heh…And here you are asking ME how I am doing; how are you and Amy holding up? I can't imagine how hard it must've been for both of you…plus, with her condition and everything…I mean, the surgery must've been expensive!"

"It was…very…But somehow…we pushed through…I know Amy wouldn't like me to say it, but it's been mostly her ever since my surgery. She did most of the cooking, buying groceries and essentials…All while having a severe mental condition."

"I do it with Shizune's help, Mom!" Amy groaned as she came back to the living room carefully carrying three plates. On them sat three fluffy red-bean pancakes.

"Hahaha, I rest my case."

"Mom, don't ever sell yourself short; I don't know where I would be now if it wasn't for your hard work." Amy reminded as she distributed the pancakes.

"Thank you dear, but you don't forget how much of a responsible young lady you became these last ten years as well." Mrs. Okazaki said as she brought her plate onto her lap.

"Both of you are very strong and very brave…I wish I can say the same for myself…" Natsuki muttered, remembering the dark days.

"Oh don't say that, Natsuki. I'm sure Shinzo's very proud of you as well. And the both of you have held on just as much! Don't sell yourself short either." Mrs. Okazaki said, as an uncomfortable Natsuki decided to finally change this depressing subject.

"So, Amy…I'm not sure if I asked this before, but do you still keep spiders as pets?"

The second Natsuki finished her sentence, Amy suddenly stood up from her seat and headed straight for her room in the back.

"Pe-Pe-Pets…Pet Spiders…I have to feed them-I-I have to feed-I have to feed them…"

A worried Natsuki looked over at the mother, who could only look on sadly.

"I…I triggered a tic, didn't I?"

"Ahaha…It's not your fault, dear…I can't expect you to learn all her triggering words…Surprisingly "Pets" is one of them but "Spiders" is not. Amy! You already fed them this morning, remember? Haiz, I don't think she heard me. Come: let's go investigate.

Natsuki placed her plate on the coffee table before turning to Mrs. Okazaki.

"Erm, may I-"

"Oh-No need dear, I got it; but thank you."

"Ah…very well."

Natsuki walked over to Amy's room as Mrs. Okazaki followed. Upon entering, Natsuki was shocked yet again at the numerous amounts of spider tanks, as well as something resembling an altar at the far right corner. Additionally, it had seemed that Amy had calmed down and was no longer going on about her spider feeding times.

"Sorry about that, Nat…I should've told you that that word is a trigger."

"No, it's fine…Are there any other words I should know about; the ones I tend to use on a daily basis?"

"No, not really; they're pretty specific words so don't worry…So, what do you think?"

Amy walked back out to join her mother by the doorway, allowing Natsuki to absorb everything around her.

"Wow…This looks…It looks awesome; it legitimately looks like I've stumbled into the creepy-crawlies section of the zoo! And you designed all this?"

"My OCD helped. Without Mom's reminders, I might have spent 36 hours straight decorating this." Amy admitted, resulting in a slight chuckle from her mother.

"B-But…It's beautiful! I mean, it REALLY is fantastic! Look! You even got the little information plaques and everything! Jorō spider…Japanese Water Spider…How did you even find these species?!"

"You know how I would always find spiders to hunt in kindergarten?"

"You mean like literally EVERY break time we had ever? And how you would drag me along to help you catch them even though they're icky? Duh-Who can forget?" Natsuki said, rolling her eyes.

"Well…It's one of my…compulsions as well…Over the years-I mean it didn't get worse or anything; I didn't spend my middle school years rolling around in the dirt or anything, but it didn't exactly get better either…It's one of the only compulsions that hasn't eased off in recent years. And eventually I caught so many that Mom forced me to keep a select few…and here we are; my collection." Amy ranted.

"Damn…I didn't realise this, like, at all! Eugh, it's hard to look at some of these, though…that Jorō spider is the only one that looks kind of okay…"

"Hahaha!" Amy couldn't help but laugh at the squirming girl. "Same old Natsuki…How about Glasses though, you okay with seeing him?"

Amy directed Natsuki's attention to her shrine. Old pictures of her favourite spider were tacked up to a maroon coloured vanguard sheet. Different patterns that resembled both a spider's web and legs were intricately drawn in with what looked like to be a black permanent marker. And in the centre of it all was a deep black box lined with fake gold foil surrounded by many different sized LED candles. Above it was a picture of a young Amy and Natsuki holding what looked like to be a plastic Tupperware. It was noticeable bigger than the other photos.

It didn't take long for Natsuki to figure out what was in the box.

"Err…And you're sure that ants haven't gotten into that box yet."

"Of course not, silly. Another box is inside and I taped THAT box shut as well. It's ant proof." Amy reassured the gagging girl.

"Oomf-Oh God…That's rather…thoughtful of you, hehe-ACK!"

"HAHAHA!"

"Ahaha-oh Natsuki…"

Amy and her mother burst out into laughter as Natsuki joined them, albeit with slightly more gagging. Once that was out of the way, the trio simply spent the rest of the morning admiring Amy's hard work.

…

Peeping through her peephole, Mio hastily opened the door for her two visitors.

"Hey again Sayori…And h-hello Mrs. Asoka. Please, come in."

Sayori and Midori gingerly entered Mio's small apartment.

"You must be Mio." Midori smiled upon seeing the girl. "I'm Sayori's mother; so nice to finally meet you!"

"It's nice to meet you too." Mio smiled back. "Do you guys want a drink?"

"Yay! Ribena!" Sayori exclaimed joyfully, while Midori shook her head.

"I'm alright, thanks."

As Mio made her way to the kitchen, Sayori and Midori took their seats on the old couch.

"My goodness…I didn't know things were…THIS bad…" Midori whispered to her daughter.

"Yeah…It's…Honestly I don't even know what to say anymore..; Anon had the exact same reaction." Sayori explained.

"Is her grandmother here?"

"Yeah. She should be asleep in the back room. I don't think it's wise to wake her now."

"Yeah, I wasn't planning to…I just…I don't even know anymore; I was planning on asking Mio about her home life…but I don't think I need to anymore…" Midori noted as Mio walked back with two packets of Ribena; tossing one to Sayori.

"Thanks Mio!" Sayori smiled as she poked the straw into her packet.

"No problem. So why did you guys decide to come over today?" Mio asked as she sipped on her drink.

"Err…Pardon me if this is a sensitive topic for you, but…how would you describe your personal, you know, home life?" Midori asked; making it blatantly obvious it was a rhetorical question.

The look on Mio's face signified that Midori's question worked, as she gave a nervous glance to Sayori. "You told her?" the girl asked, although it was with less frustration at the fact and more disheartened that someone else knows about her living conditions.

"I…I'm sorry Mio, but I just can't stand to see my best friend suffer like this…It's not fair!" Sayori exclaimed, her face reddening.

"Sigh…It's okay…I don't blame you...You're Sayori after all; helping your friends is what you do best…But while I appreciate your concern; both of yours…I…I don't really…It's not a big a deal, guys, really." Mio muttered.

Sayori and Midori exchanged worried glances. This was the type of response they were absolutely not looking forward to.

"Is it…" Midori started. "Is it because of…your grandfather?"

Mio looked down with a sullen expression. That was all the answers that Midori needed.

"If he has ever been violent, abusive towards you or your grandmother…You need to call the police. Family violence is a serious issue, Mio." Midori said; her tone saturated with seriousness.

"You think I haven't tried? No-He WANTS us to call the police! He wants to die or get sent to prison; or basically anything that would get him out of this household-But he's my grandfather and I love him!" Mio argued, tears welling up in her eyes. "God I just-! I just want to get the hell out of here! Sniff…ahh…I can't-"

Mio's lament was cut short by Sayori wrapping her arms around her, tears also starting to form in her eyes.

"It's okay Mio…We're here for you…" Sayori whispered gently as Mio sobbed into her shoulder as Midori watched sadly.

"Sniff…Sayori…sniff…I don't know how much more I can take…"

"It's okay…It's okay… It's okay to cry…"

The two girls remained in their tight hug for a while longer until Mio shakily released herself.

"…Haah…Haah…" the girl struggled to catch her breath amidst her sobs. "I don't want to call the police…"

"I understand, Mio…You don't have to make the decision now…We'll give you some time to think about it-"

"No, I don't want to make the decision at all!" Mio exclaimed. "He's never been violent! He's just…It's all just verbal…He makes Granny fear for her life; he makes me feel like shit…But he's never actually…one anything physical; I mean, he makes threats that he will, but it's all just so we can call the police and send him out; which is exactly what he wants! But he's never been physical; he's never hurt me or Granny…"

Midori and Sayori once again exchanged concerned looks. "Sayori, is this true? You told me yesterday he's only shouted at you."

"Well; it's a whole lot worse than just shouting…but yeah, he's never hurt me either."

Midori let out an exasperated sigh. "Is your grandmother awake? I would like to see her."

"Mom-! You just said-"

"I know what I said." Midori cut her daughter off before she could finish her sentence. "But this is…this is way too serious to ignore now. We'll leave before Mr. Arakida comes back, I promise."

Sayori looked at her mother, still unsure. However, she reluctantly agreed.

"Sigh…before he comes back. And I don't mean we leave right as he arrives; I mean I don't even want to see him at the lift landing when we go down."

"We won't see him at all; I promise."

"Well, good luck getting a response out of her…Today…Well I'll let you see for yourself."

Mio led the other and daughter to the back room, where the old lady was lying on the bed and staring at the ceiling. She wasn't asleep, but she may as well be.

"Granny? Sayori and her mother are here to see you." Mio said gently as she stood in the doorway. "You two stay out her first." She instructed the mother-daughter pair. "Granny?"

"Mio? M-Mio…" the old woman gasped motionlessly, still not acknowledging her granddaughter's presence.

"Granny? I'm right here."

"M-Mio?" Himiko turned to face Mio, but the look in her eyes was one of fear.

"Wh-Who are you? H-Have you seen my granddaughter? Sh-She's not still in the playroom, is she? It-It's so late!"

"Oh my God…" Midori covered her mouth in shock as the old woman failed to recognise her granddaughter. Sayori, sensing it was time to tag in, stepped into the room.

"Hi Granny Arakida! I told Mio we would be coming over today as well!"

"Uh-uh…Sayori! You're back again! Mio, did you give our guests drinks?"

"Heh…yes, Granny."

As all of this unfolded, Midori could only look on in shock.

"I-I brought my Mom with me today; come say hi, Mom!" Sayori sang, signalling Midori to make her entrance.

"Uh…hello Mrs. Arakida, I'm Midori; Sayori's mother.

"Oh, why it's very nice to meet you." Himiko said as she clasped Midori's right palm within her own. "Your daughter has been coming over far more frequently these few days; she's a very sweet young woman."

"Aw shucks, granny Arakida…you're making me blush!" Sayori said, her face obviously turning red.

"Ah-well, I'm proud of you my bun." Midori smiled, patting Sayori's head and causing her to blush even more. "Well, I don't wish to disturb you, so Sayori and I will be heading back into the living room."

"Oh, of course of course…Mio; you can go and keep our guests company…Granny can stay in here by herself." Himiko said as Midori and Sayori swiftly departed from the room.

"Are you sure, Granny? Do you need like…water or anything?"

"Oh I'm fine, my child. Go on; your friend is waiting."

"Oh…Okay then…" Mio shrugged as she walked out of the room to join her guests.

Back in the living room, Mio sat down and stared at the other two ladies. Based on the look on Midori's face, it was clear that she had all the answers she needed.

"Mio, I just want to say I am so, SO sorry…" the woman started sympathetically. "It must feel awful having your own grandmother not recognise who you are."

"It is what it is…I've gotten over it..; and honestly, having Sayori come over almost every day helps a lot."

"Don't mention it Mio; it's no trouble at all." Sayori stated firmly.

"That's one thing I'm still not sure of…Wh-Why does she only recognise you when Sayori's around?" Midori asked.

"Honestly, I have no idea." Mio admitted dejectedly. "I think it might have something to do with the fact that she's here often…or maybe it's…I don't know, really but I'm not complaining."

"**Sigh…"** the three ladies let out a collective sigh, which was followed by a solemn silence. No one really knew what to say. Mio looked at the ground and twiddled her thumbs, Midori glanced between the two girls and the back room, while Sayori just looked completely exhausted and ready to go home to have a nice long nap.

Midori was the first to speak up.

"Mio, Sayori told me that you wake up super early in the morning to bathe your grandmother…is that correct?"

Mio looked at Midori with an unsure expression on her face. "That's correct, yes."

"She also told me you come back during recess AND lunch to bring food for your grandparents and bathe them again at night, all while having to deal with homework and their…conditions?"

"Erm…yes...?"

Midori gave the girl a sad but encouraging smile.

"Mio…Do you know that you're a very brave and strong young woman?" Midori announced as she looked deeply into Mio's eyes.

"Eh? I-I'm not so sure about that, ehe…"the girl replied meekly, shrugging away the compliment.

"I'm serious…And you've been doing this since middle school-that's seriously, SERIOUSLY dedicated! Your grandparents should be VERY proud of you! You are a filial granddaughter!"

"She's right!" Sayori chimed in, backing her mother up. "You're an amazing granddaughter, Mio! I'm sure Granny Arakida appreciates everything you've done for her and the household!"

"I mean, she hardly knows who I am half them time…and Granddad-"

"If she does not have Alzheimer's I guarantee you she would be VERY proud." Midori said firmly. "And don't care about what your grandfather thinks; he should be very proud of you as well."

Mio stared at the mother and daughter; both of them were looking at her with serious admiration in their eyes; especially Sayori. It was a feeling she never really had in a very long time, but it was enough to send her into tears once again.

"Sniff…Y-You guys…sniff…"

"Group hug!" Sayori declared as the three ladies came together once more, this time with way more smiling and determination.

"Sniff…ahh…That was…nice…" Mio chuckled as the group slowly dispersed.

"We can do it again if you want…" Sayori joked, causing the trio to laugh out loud.

"It's fine…Y-You guys should get going anyway; I think Granddad's on his way home."

"Ah-right…" Sayori said, placing her two index fingers together. "Well, it's been nice seeing you again, Mio!"

"Aha-likewise Sayori-and it's a real pleasure meeting you, Mrs. Asoka."

"The pleasure's all mine, Mio. Come on Sayori; let's head home!"

"Coming Mom!"

Mio followed the duo to the door and watched as they entered the lift, waving goodbye in the process. As she closed and locked the front door, she felt a rather unfamiliar sensation in her body…one that consisted both of determination and hope.

"Oh-Sayori didn't finish her Ribena…"

As Mio grabbed Sayori's unfinished packet to her refrigerator to store, she heard a voice call out to her from the back room.

"Mio dear, have our guests left?"

Surprised that her grandmother still knew who she was, Mio almost didn't respond. However, something inside her was urging her to.

"Yes, Granny!"

After closing the fridge door, Mio entered the backroom and sat on the bed next to her grandmother.

"Did you see them off? Did you unlock the front door for them?"

"Yes, Granny…I made sure of both of that!"

"Oh I should have known; you were always a responsible young girl." Himiko smiled as she stroked the young girl's hair. Mio, not wanting to waste any minute of this, carefully climbed into the bed.

"Granny…I'm a little tired…Do you mind if I take a short nap before going back to school?"

"Oh not at all my dear…Granny will make sure she wakes you up on time-"

"Oh, that's fine Granny…I have my phone alarm." Mio said, setting her alarm for fifteen minutes from now.

Setting her phone next to her face, Mio rolled over to her right side and shut her eyes. The warm early morning temperature only added to the feeling of peace and tranquillity Mio felt.

Things are going to get better.

They **will** get better.

…

**End of Chapter Five**


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